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FINDINGS 

AND 

RECOMMEND  A  TIONS 

cf  the 

Survey  of  the 
ALTON  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

Made  During  the 

School   Year  1917-1918. 


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To  the  Board  of  Education, 
^  City  of  Alton,  111. 

Gentlemen : 

In  compliance  with  the  resolution  adopted  by  your  body 
at  the  regular  June  meeting  (1917),  we,  your  Special  Com- 
mittee on  School  Survey,  submit  the  following  report : 

We  selected  Mr.  John  W.  Withers,  Superintendent  of 
Instruction,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  to  make  the  survey  of  the  Alton 
Public  Schools  through  a  corps  of  special  assistants  working 
under  his  supervision.  Every  man  engaged  in  making  the 
survey  is  a  public  school  man  now  actually  employed  in  public 
school  work.  Their  professional  standing  is  unimpeachable. 
Your  committee  feels,  as  does  Dr.  Withers,  that  men  of  this 
employment  are  in  closer  touch  and  sympathy  with  the  prob- 
lems that  confront  a  Board  of  Education  and  School  Admin- 
istrative Department  of  a  city  the  size  of  Alton. 

The  findings  and  recommendations  of  these  surveyors 
are  embodied  in  this  report.  Your  committee's  recommenda- 
tions based  upon  the  entire  survey  will  be  furnished  each 
member  prior  to  the  meeting  of  your  body  at  which  this  re- 
port is  to  be  received. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

E.  B.  SEITZ,  Chairman, 
DR.  E.  A.  COOK, 
R.  E.  WILKINSON, 
Special  Committee  on  School  Survey. 

April  22,  1918.      * 


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■J  J  -ftJBtfl  •'!         I."«>J  V 


BOARD    OF    EDUCAT/ON 

="   THE 

ST.  lol;is 


OF   THE 

CITY  OF  S- 


Office  of 

THHSUPER.NTHNOENrOF.NSTRUCT.ON 


June  10,  1918. 
Mr.  E.  B.  Seitz 

Chai^an,  Specie,  eo,„™j.ee  on  Sehoo,Su.ve. 
My  dear  Mr.  Seitz  :  '  "'■ 

to  survey  the  public  school  system  orAlton       '""  ^""'^  of  Education 

I  have  been  guided  solely  by  the  dTsIS  ,  "'"  Purvey  Commission 

be  of  real  value  in  helping  [he  Board  of  ..'""''"'  '  '"^''  "''''  «»"« 
jmprove  the  work  of  the  Alton  public  Jh?"""  '"  ^'^^^^'hen  and 
"•short,   to  render  a  report  Itwou'dh  ''  ^^^^ 'he  purpose, 

Whatever  of  adverse  criticism  there  mav  t     T."'""'™  'hroughou, 
meant  to  be  constructive  and  is  marn  ,       u    '^^  "''""'  ''  'herefore' 
'o  justify  it.     Along  with  the   hieftte mt    f™  *'  '''''  '^^^  ^'-^'^ 
where  defects  were  found,  remedfes  ,h,t  ^"S«esting,  in  each  case 

avadable,  there  was  also  the  desi  '  to  dlr'^'f  "'^' ^"^  immediately 
whtch  could  not  insomeinstan  esbeim      f '"f''"''^«"P«'««dards 
would  serve  to  direct  .hecour  e^f  p™g~h/^^^^^^^  7^"-^  but  which 
I  have  carefully  read  th„  ' '"'"''""'  ">""'■ 

an.  convinced  that  so  Z  fstZT-fr^"  ""'"'>"  "^  'he  staff  and 
have  been  carefully  seen    d    cltrl";  t""  '''"''' ''''  f^" 

and  that  the  conclusions  drawn  «nH  '  ^"'^  """'=«'>'  interpreted 

ease  fully  justified  by  the  facTs  ^^^'"■"endations  made  are  fn  each 


Respectfully  submitted, 

John  W.  Witheks. 


ORGANIZATION,  ADMINISTRATION,  AND  SUPEfl</|SldN  >   '  '•  ' 

by 

Gko.  Platt  Knox 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  Instruction,  St.  Louis 


Organization 

As  long  as  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  of  Alton  is  composed  of 
the  present  high  type  of  public  spirited  citizens,  the  existing  comfortable 
working  relations  between  the  various  departments  of  the  Board  and  between 
the  Board  and  its  officers  doubtless  will  continue,  but  the  Charter  and  the 
Rules  of  the  Board  guarantee  no  such  continuance. 

The  published  Rules  of  the  Board  fall  far  short  of  the  actual  practice 
of  the  Board  as  regards  the  conduct  of  the  Board's  business. 

As  is  too  frequently  the  case  in  American  cities,  the  rules  of  the  Board 
of  Education  fail  to  distinguish  between  the  several  functions  of  the 
Board,  and  between  the  sphere  of  activity  of  the  Board  and  that  of  its  officers. 
The  Board  of  Education  should  be  an  eminent  group  selected,  or  elected  by 
the  people,  to  represent  them  in  the  control  of  the  function  of  public  educa- 
tion. The  Board  should  be  a  deliberative,  not  an  executive  body  directly;  It 
should  reflect  truly  all  the  various  phases  of  opinion  and  desire  found  in  the 
people  which  it  represents:  it  should,  by  investigation  and  consideration  and 
discussion,  weigh  the  various  proposals  in  view  of  the  necessities  and  the  best 
public  policy  and  so  determine  what  are  the  wise  and  feasible  lines  of 
progress;  it  should,  through  the  advice  of  experts,  study  the  possible  channels 
and  means  and  methods  by  which  the  determined  aims  shall  be  worked  out 
and  decide  on  the  lines  of  action;  it  should  leave  to  its  officials,  who  must  be 
experts  in  their  respective  lines,  the  execution  of  the  policies  and  plans 
decided  upon. 

A  further  function  of  the  Board  is  to  safeguard  the  excellence  of  the 
accommodations  and  equipment  and  work  of  the  schools  and  the  health  and 
well  being  of  the  pupils.  To  this  end  the  Board  should  constantly  and  con- 
sistently receive  reports  from  its  officers  showing  actual  conditions  on  all  the 
points  deserving  of  care  and  attention;  it  should  note  and  emphasize  the 
elements  of  strength  and  weakness  so  reported  and  spread  its  judgment 
adequately  before  the  people;  it  should  direct  its  proper  officers  to  proceed 
along  certain  lines  to  strengthen  and  improve  conditions  where  needed  and 
to  develop  strength  beyond  the  excellence  already   noted. 

The  Board  of  Education  should  serve  as  a  prophet  to  the  people. 
America  is  learning  today  as  never  before,  she  realizes  today  as  never  any 
other  people  in  all  history,  how  absolutely  vital  to  a  nation  is  the  adequate 
education  of  its  citizens.  In  all  respects  as  regards  public  education  as  the 
great  foundation  of  the  perpetuity  of  our  institutions,  the  Board  of  Education 
has  a  peculiar  and  paramount  duty  to  perform  in  pointing  the  way  to  a  clear 
understanding  and  a  limitless  devotion  on  the  part  of  the  people  to  their 
supreme  educational  duty.  The  Board  should  never  invade  or  usurp  the 
functions  of  its  executive  officers,  it  has  bigger  work  to  do. 

The  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  of  Alton  carries  on  its  business 
through  ten  standing  committees  consisting  of  from  three  to  five  members 
each,  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  Board.  This  arrangement  entails 
on  the  part  of  several  individuals  a  membership  on  four  different  committees. 
It  is  not  within  the  function  of  this  report  to  discuss  the  advisability  of  this 
plan,  the  question  under  discussion  is  the  relation  of  the  activity  of  the 
Board  to  the  functions  of  its  officers. 

The  work  of  these  ten  committees,  as  indicated  by  their  titles,  comprises 
the  usual  scope  of  work  of  a  Board  of  Education  in  the  furtherance  of  its 
business  of  running  the  public  schools.  These  committees  are:  Finance, 
Teachers,  Text  Books,  Library  and  Apparatus,  Janitors,  Buildings  and 
Repairs,  Supplies  and  Incidentals,  High  School,  Rules  and  Regulations,  and 
Hygiene  and  Safety. 

The  officers  of  the  Board  are  stated  in  the  published  rules  (Sec.  I,  p.  6) 
to  be,  "A  President,  Secretary,  Treasurer  and  an  executive  officer  who  is  the 
Superintendent."  The  Rules  in  another  section  provide  for  the  election  by 
the  Board  of  a  Superintendent  of  Buildings  and  define  his  duties.  It  is 
presumable  that  this  Superintendent  of  Buildings  is  also  "an  officer  of  the 
Board,"  although  it  is  not  so  stated.  Other  officers  are  also  referred  to  in 
other  sections, — "the  Truant  Officer,"  "a  Supervisor  of  Hygiene  with  as  many 
assistants,  inspectors  or  nurses  as  may  be  determined  from  time  to  time." 
(Sec.   Ill,  p.   34.)     It  is  stated    (Sec.  VIII,   p.  35)    that  "The  work  of  the 


r»ei,>^,r'Lrrjieiit  of  School  Hygiene  shall  be  conducted  at  all  times  under  such 
regulations  as  may  be  prescribed  by  the  Board  of  Education,  through  the 
proper  committee,"  and  in  Sec.  IX,  p.  35,  it  is  ordered  that  "The  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  principals,  teachers,  janitors,  attendance  officers  and  Supervisors 
of  Hygiene  or  School  Nurses  shall  co-operate  with  the  Department  of  School 
Hygiene  at  all  times."  This  section  specifically  directs  that  the  Superintend- 
ent of  Schools  and  the  Supervisor  of  Hygiene  co-equally  shall  co-operate  with 
the  Department  of  School  Hygiene  at  all  times,  while  this  Department  is 
defined  (Sec.  I,  p.  33)  as  "  a  division  of  work  in  the  schools."  It  might  be 
expected,  instead,  that  the  rules  would  direct  that  the  work  of  this  Department 
of  School  Hygiene  and  its  Supervisor,  assistants,  inspectors  and  nurses  shall 
be  under  the  responsible  direction  of  the  Superintendent  of  Schools.  This, 
lack  of  definition  seems  to  lead  to  no  friction  at  present  but  there  is  need 
that  the  relations  of  the  various  officers  of  the  Board  be  specified,  with  the 
Superintendent  of  Schools  as  the  chief  responsible  executive  officer.  Sec.  I, 
p.  9  states  this  broadly  but  seems  to  have  been  overlooked  when  other  officers 
and  departments  were  added. 

The  several  standing  committees  exercise  not  merely  oversight  and 
discretionary  powers,  but  are  directed  to  perform  extensive  executive  func- 
tions which  should  be  exercised  only  by  responsible  and  trained  experts. 
No  matter  how  devoted  in  public  spirit,  no  matter  how  indefatigable  in  the 
Board's  service  may  be  the  Board  members,  they  cannot  be  expected  to  have 
the  efficiency  or  to  bear  the  responsibility  of  trained  experts.  While  it  is 
not  discernible  in  Alton  it  is  widely  the  case  the  country  over,  that  most  of 
the  friction  in  school  affairs,  most  of  the  low  efficiency  in  actual  teaching  and 
schoolroom  work,  rises  directly  from  the  mistake  of  giving  into  the  hands 
of  untrained,  however  patriotic  and  estimable  citizens,  the  executive  handling 
of  the  schools.  The  expert  official  should  propose,  the  Board  of  Education 
should  dispose;  the  expert  official  should  carry  out  what  the  Board  of 
Education  should  adopt;  the  expert  official  should  be  held  responsible  for 
his  recommendations,  which  should  be  unhampered  by  the  personal  feelings 
or  friendships  of  Board  members,  while  the  Board  in  its  turn  is  responsible 
to  the  people  for  the  welfare  of  their  public  schools. 

The  Committee  on  Text  Books  and  Course  of  Study  has  the  serious 
duty  of  investigating  and  recommending  any  necessary  changes  in  text 
books  and  course  of  study.  This  is  an  impossible  task  for  the  best  private 
citizen.  It  is  the  work  and  should  be  the  responsibility  of  the  expert  official, — 
the  Superintendent  of  Schools, — the  Board  should  receive  his  recommenda- 
tions with  the  results  of  his  study  and  pass  upon  them,  favorably  or  otherwise. 
No  non-expert  should  be  subjected  to  the  rival  claims  and  claimants  in  this 
delicate  school  business. 

The  Committee  on  Teachers,  composed  of  five  members,  must  "investi- 
gate the  qualifications  of  applicants  for  positions  as  teacher.  They  shall  pre- 
pare annually  and  submit  *  *  *  a  list  of  competent  teachers  *  *  *."  The 
present  committee  is  in  the  habit  of  relying  on  the  Superintendent  of  Schools 
for  this  list,  and  wisely  and  considerately  so,  but  the  rules  permit  quite  other 
action.  In  this,  as  throughout  the  conduct  of  its  business,  the  practice  of  the 
present  Board  is  quite  in  line  with  the  latest  and  best  school  policy.  This 
practice  should  be  guaranteed  by  the  Rules  and  the  responsibility  placed 
legally  where  it  belongs,  on  the  responsible  recomlmendation  of  the  executive, 
an  expert  official,  who  is  subject  at  all  times  and  in  all  things  to  the  judgment 
of  the  Board. 

The  same  unwise  direction  appears  in  the  stated  duty  of  the  Committee 
on  Buildings  and  Repairs  "to  attend  to  the  necessary  repairs  of  all  the  build- 
ings and  grounds";  in  the  duty  of  the  Committee  on  Library  and  Apparatus 
"to  make  recommendations  to  the  Board  for  the  purchase  of  various  books 
and  apparatus  needed  for  the  better  ivorkin(j  of  the  schools;  in  the  duty  of 
the  Committee  on  Supplies  "to  purchase  and  have  placed  when  needed 
necessary  supplies",  to  make  "during  the  summer  months"  "a  list  of  supplies 
needed  in  the  public  schools".  The  Committee  on  Janitors  shall  "recommend 
suitable  persons  for  employment  as  janitors  of  the  various  buildings",  "shall 
see  that  the  janitors  perform  their  various  duties  and  discharge  temporarily 
*  *  *  and  appoint  temporarily",  a  duty  which  should  be  laid  to  the 
executive  who  can  spend  his  whole  time  in  the  schools. 

The  above  data  are  not  exhaustive  of  the  situation  but  serve  to  point 
the  recommendation  that  the  respective  officers  of  the  Board  be  held  legally 
responsible  for  the  conduct  of  their  respective  departments,  including  all 
recommendations  of  teachers,  janitors,  supplies,  repairs,  texts,  apparatus, 
course  of  study  and  the  general  conduct  of  the  physical  and  intellectual  well 
being  and  growth  of  the  pupils. 


As  soon  as  the  volume  of  business  warrants,  there  should  be  another 
officer  of  the  Board  created, —  a  Commissioner  of  Supplies,  an  officer  under 
bond,  employed  on  all  or  part  time,  who  shall  conduct  most  economically 
and  efficiently  the  purchasing  business  of  the  Board. 

Administration 
The    administration,    as    distinguished    from    the    organization    and    the 
supervision,  has  to  do  with  the  Cd-ccutivc  function  of  the  school  system  under 
the  form  of  organization  provided,  leading  into  the  problem  of  supervision 
as  the  pupil  is  reached  in  the  teaching  process. 

Administration  has  to  do  with  the  relations  of  the  official  to  the 
members  of  his  department  in  the  efficient  conduct  of  the  work  for  which 
he  is  responsible.  This  survey  has  to  do  only  with  the  administration  of  the 
Department  of  Instruction. 

The  Department  of  Instruction  in  the  Alton  school  system  comprises 
a  Superintendent  of  Schools,  three  subject  Supervisors,  fifteen  principals  of 
respective  schools,  and  the  corps  of  teachers.  The  Truant  Officer  and  the 
officials  in  the  Department  of  School  Hygiene  are  not  here  included  ag  they 
seem  to  be  considered  under  the  rules  as  separate  and  co-ordinating  branches 
of  the  service.  The  work  of  this  Truant  Officer  is  left  to  the  consideration 
of  the  survey  report  on  attendance  of  pupils.  The  Department  of  Hygiene 
was  not  specifically  studied  but  every  Indication  points  to  efficient  and 
adequate   service  being  rendered. 

The  classification  of  the  schools,  determination  of  the  number  of  rooms 
per  school  and  of  actual  pupils  per  teacher  are  so  largely  dependent  upon  the 
location  and  size  of  buildings,  and  these,  in  turn,  upon  the  distribution  of 
school  population,  recently  modified  city  and  ward  limits  and  school  building 
and  finance,  that  we  shall  of  necessity  assume  that  the  present  classification, 
size  and  location  of  schools  is  accepted. 

For  the  most  part  the  grade  classification  and  assignment  of  pupils  of 
certain  grades  to  certain  schools  seems  a  reasonable  and  satisfactory  adjust- 
ment of  the  educational  needs  to  the  opportunities  afforded. 

As  soon  as  the  City  of  Alton  is  in  a  position  to  modify  and  enlarge  its 
school  accommodations  by  the  erection  of  new  buildings,  the  work  should 
be  undertaken  with  a  view  to  providing  for  the  school  children  of  this 
community  the  latest  and,  best  devices  of  educational  classification. 

Not  alone  new  and  better  school  buildings  should  be  planned,  but  an 
opportunity  should  be  sought  to  place  within  the  reach  of  the  children  the 
superior  educational  opportunities  found  in  new  school  units,  such  as  Junior 
High  Schools,  Manual  and  Household  Arts  Schools,  Industrial,  Commercial, 
Technical  Schools  or  courses,  and  similar  recent  educational  administrative 
schemes  of  accepted  value. 

We  are,  as  a  people,  passing  through  a  period  of  unparalleled  strain, 
turmoil  and  adjustment.  What  the  end  will  be  no  man  knows.  But  that  the 
whole  educational  policy  of  our  nation  will  be  profoundly  affected  is  beyond 
question;  it  remains  for  us  who  are  engaged  in  public  education, — Boards  of 
Education  and  their  officers, — to  make  the  very  best  educational  adjustment 
possible  and  to  keep  adequate  pace  with  the  development  of  public  opinion. 

Now  is  not  the  time  to  attempt  to  recommend  just  the  form  which 

.school  advance  should  take.     Alton  needs  to  apply  itself  to  study  of  local  and 

national  problems  from  its  own  standpoint,  needs  to  realize  deeply  its  own 

necessities  for  educational  enlargement  and  to  be  ready  to  embark  upon  a 

solution  of  its  problems  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

The  schools  as  now  organized  seem  well  administered,  the  Superin- 
tendent seems  to  be  in  the  school  rooms  to  a  reasonable  extent,  being  able 
with  the  clerical  help  provided  so  to  conduct  the  work  of  his  office  as  to  be 
free-  for  school  visitation.  These  two  phases  of  the  work  of  administration, 
office  duties  and  school  visitation,  and  their  relative  demands  upon  time 
and  energy,  always  present  to  a  superintendent  one  of  his  biggest  problems. 
To  preserve  an  even  and  just  balance  between  these  two  is  to  sail  a  safe  course 
between  Scylla  and  Charybdis. 

In  making  his  choice,  the  Superintendent  of  the  Alton  Schools  has 
avoided  both  rocks  while  he  has  fortunately  devoted  the  greater  portion  of 
his  time  on  the  side  of  school  visitation.  This  matter  will  be  further  com- 
mented upon  under  the  head  of  supervision. 

The  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  should  provide  adequate 
and  prompt  attention  to  the  needs  and  also  the  demands  of  the  public.  This 
function  seems  to  be  fulfilled  in  Alton.  Among  other  items,  the  Superin- 
tendent gives  his  personal  attention  to  cases  of  serious  infraction  of  school 


discipline  and  to  the  applications  for  working  papers.  It  is  worth  a  great 
deal  to  the  City  of  Alton  to  have  the  children  leaving  school  receive  the 
personal  care  of  the  Superintendent  in  each  individual  case,  for  thus  the 
law  is  upheld  and  the  best  interests  of  the  children  of  the  community  safe- 
guarded. 

The  office  of  the  Superintendent  should  constitute  a  court  of  appeal 
and  a  source  of  sympathy,  justice  and  inspiration  to  all  teachfers.  No  school 
system  can  be  healthy  unless  the  members  of  the  teaching  corps  find  an  open 
door  and  a  sure  welcome  in  the  Superintendent's  office.  Every  such  teacher 
must  leave  his  office  feeling  that  she  has  had  courteous  sympathetic  hearing, 
real  justice,  and  helpful  advice,  and  so  must  bear  with  her  a  feeling  that  she 
will  come  again  and  all  the  more  easily  next  time.  This  function  seems, 
to  be  fulfilled  in  Alton. 

The  office  of  the  Superintendent  should  secure  a  fair  and  permanent 
record  of  the  work  of  the  system.  As  regards  the  children,  a  cumulative 
record  showing  the  individual  pupil's  attendance,  attention  and  progress 
should  be  an  accomplished  fact.  This  record  should  be  in  a  form  which 
affords  ready  access  and  easy  reading  for  reference  purposes  by  the  Superin- 
tendent or  other  responsible  officer  or  teacher.  Such  a  record  is,  of  course, 
sacred  and  safe  in  the  hands  of  the  school  authorities  and  must  never  be 
exploited.  Such  record  is  not  found  immediately  accessible  in  the  Alton 
office.  Promotion  lists  of  pupils  are  submitted  for  the  Superintendent's 
approval. 

As  regards  teachers,  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  should  afford  a 
permanent,  careful,  adequate  record  of  the  efficiency  of  each  individual 
teacher.  This  record  should  include  items  showing  length  of  service,  attend- 
ance, punctuality,  faithfulness  in  performance  of  routine  duties,  ability  in 
management  of  children  and  their  right  training  for  character  building, 
instruction  and  teaching  skill,  professional  zeal.  etc.  Such  a  record  should 
be  the  basis  for  promotion  or  for  dismissal  and  should  be  demanded  by  the 
teachers  as  a  reasonable  safeguard  of  their  own  interests  and  a  fair  guide 
to  their  efforts  for  professional  improvement.  No  such  record  is  had  in  the 
Alton  office. 

The  office  of  the  Superintendent  should  gather  vital  statistics  for  the 
schools  covering  data  on  enrollment,  attendance,  grade  distribution,  extra 
promotion,  non-promotion,  retardation,  tardiness,  serious  disciplinary  cases, 
etc.,  which  are  increasingly  valuable  in  the  art  of  good  school  keeping.  Not 
only  should  constant  study  be  made  of  such  data  as  a  guide  to  wise  adminis- 
trative measures  and  for  purposes  of  frank  report  to  the  public  at  large,  but 
such  statistics  afford  the  only  basis  for  reliable  reference  in  future  years.  A 
monthly  report  is  filed  by  each  teacher  in  Alton  showing  some  of  these  data 
but  the  report  is  incomplete  and  it  is  not  digested  and  assimilated  sufficiently 
to  fulfill  its  fullest  value.  In  short,  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Alton  Schools  is  deficient  in  well  chosen  and  adequate  data  on  the  work  of 
pupils  and  teachers  and  on  vital  school  statistics. 


Supervision 

Supervision  has  to  do  with  the  direction  and  control  of  the  teacher  in 
her  work,  exercised  by  the  administrative  officers  of  the  Board  of  Education. . 
School  supervision  is  an  art,  not  reducible  completely  to  scientific  factors 
without  an  appreciable  remainder.  Some  of  the  essential  qualities  of  school 
supervision  may,  however,  be  noted.  There  must  be  real  information  based 
upon  immediate  personal  knowledge  of  actual  school-room  conditions.  There 
must  be  deep  sympathy  born  of  an  intimate  fellowship  between  teacher  and 
supervisor,  based-  upon  personal  acquaintance  and  a  common  professional 
experience.  There  must  be  wise  evaluation  of  the  powers  and  limitations 
of  the  children  under  observation,  resting  on  a  far-reaching  knowledge  of 
the  social,  historical  and  economic  facts  of  home  environment  and  influences. 
There  must  be  strong  professional  sagacity  on  the  part  of  the  supervisor 
derived  from  training,   reading,  observation  and  study. 

The  Superintendent  and  his  supervisory  assistants  must  be  well 
trained  for  their  particular  work;  they  must  do  wide  reading;  they  must 
be  constantly  well  informed,  by  visits  to  other  school  systems  and  conventions 
and  other  gatherings  of  their  co-workers  in  the  profession;  they  must  be 
home  born  or  else  careful  and  extensive  students  of  local  conditions  and 
history;  they  must  have  been  teachers  themselves;  they  must  be  friends  with 
the  teachers,   "having  a  fellowship  in    (pedadogical)    suffering";    they   must 


liave  an  almost  intuitive  tact  and  alertness  in  getting  an  instant  grasp  on 
school-room  conditions  unmodified  by  the  entrance  of  the  Supervisor;  they 
must  be  welcome  in  the  school  room. 

The  Superintendent  and  his  supervisory  assistants  in  Alton  bear  this 
searching  test  of  efficiency  to  a  degree  which  is  commendatory  and  beyond 
the  average.  They  have  been  "home  grown,"  or  have  been  long  enough 
resident  to  be  thoroughly  conversant  with  local  civic  conditions:  they  know 
the  children  and  know  the  homos  from  whence  they  come.  They  have  been 
long  enough  in  the  school  system  to  know  the  teachers  and  to  be  known 
by  them:  they  seem  to  be  welcome  in  the  school  room,  appreciated  by 
teachers  and  gladly  accepted  by  children.  Their  degree  of  .professional 
training  and  of  general  and  special  preparation  will  be  considered  by  other 
surveyors.  The  Superintendent  is  a  regular  attendant  at  the  great  professional 
gatherings  of  superintendents;  I  doubt  if  the  Supervisors  visit  other  systems 
frequently  and  widely  enough.  The  Board  of  Education  could  well  afford 
and  should  periodically  grant  Supervisors  extended  opportunity  for  visitation 
and  study  in  other  systems. 

In  a  school  system  the  size  of  Alton  the  Superintendent  of  Instruction  is 
able  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  conditions  in  his  schools.  In  many  cities 
a  "supervising  principal"  has  assigned  to  him  as  many  teachers  as  are  com- 
prised in  the  entire  corps  in  Alton.  The  actual  number  of  school  rooms  is 
not  an  unreasonable  charge  upon  the  oversight  of  its  Superintendent.  The 
considerable  distances  to  be  traversed  in  reaching  the  schools,  many  of 
which  contain  only  a  few  rooms,  renders  the  supervisory  work  of  the 
Superintendent  more  difficult  than  the  number  of  teachers  to  be  supervised 
would   alone   indicate. 

By  his  personal  visits  to  school  rooms  and  by  the  professional  meetings 
with  his  corps  of  teachers  as  directed  by  the  Rules,  the  Superintendent  is 
doubtless  able  to  affect  the  work  of  the  school  rooms  to  a  reasonable  degree. 
No  Superintendent  of  Schools  is  ever  satisfied  in  his  effort  to  improve  the 
work  in  his  school  rooms,  every  superintendent  must  rely  in  the  main  on 
the  professional  scholarship  and  zeal  of  his  teachers  for  the  improvement 
of  their  work  under  his  suggestion.  The  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  Alton 
is  no  exception. 

As  regards  supervision  of  teachers  by  principals  the  best  educational 
practice  provides  the  services  of  an  accomplished  principal  for  every  school 
of  five  or  more  rooms.  Good  school  keeping  is  concerned  primarily  and 
vitally  with  the  welfare  of  the  pupils.  They  are  entitled  to  all  of  their 
teachers'  time  during  school  hours, — in  class  room,  during  filing,  on  the 
playground.  No  teacher  should  be  taken  from  the  actual  teaching  of  her 
pupils  by  any  parents,  or  other  visitors  desiring  consultation,  or  by  require- 
ments of  school  records  or  any  attention  to  the  heat,  ventilation,  or  lighting 
of  the  room,  or  any  belated  preparation  of  material,  texts,  or  supplies.  For 
all  these  demands  there  should  be  provided  a  principal,  a  janitor  and  a 
sacrifice  of  time  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  before  or  after  school  hours.  The 
schools  of  Alton  are  crippled  by  the  lack  of  supervisory  principals.  The 
pupils  suffer  directly  from  this  lack.  The  time  of  the  teachers  is  taken, 
their  attention  is  distracted  by  demands  other  than  those  of  actual  teaching. 
Furthermore,  every  teacher,  no  matter  how  capable,  wise  and  strong,  needs 
and  deserves  an  "ever  present  help  in  time  of  trouble."  Other  teachers  may  do, 
or  may  not.  Teachers  thrive  on  close,  happy,  sympathetic  supervision.  The 
best  school  is  one  that  is  built  together,  close  knit  by  consistent  aim  and 
continuous  effort,  wisely  planned  and  tactfully  wrought  by  a  supervisor  close 
at  hand.     Only  a  principal  can  thus  serve. 

Allowing  50  per  cent  of  a  principal's  time  for  attention  to  details  out 
of  the  school  room, — which  is  an  extremely  conservative  estimate  in  actual 
practice, — it  comes  nearer  being  75  per  cent, — half  of  the  school  time  spent 
in  supervision  of  the  work  in  the  rooms  in  a  school  of  five  rooms  will  admit 
of  a  half  hour  per  room  per  day.  In  actual  experience  this  will  fall  to  an 
average  of  a  quarter-hour  per  day.  Alton  would  profit  immensely  if  it 
would  afford  such  an  arrangement  by  an  increase  in  the  number  of  super- 
vising principals  free  from  teaching  schedule.  The  present  arrangement  of 
two  teachers  in  the  first  primary  room  with  one  hour  per  day  spent  by  one 
of  these  in  teaching  classes  of  an  advanced  grade  while  the  teacher-principal 
attends  to  office  work  is  possibly  the  best  relief  in  sight,  but  it  is  only  a 
makeshift  and  is  open  to  severe  criticism  from  a  pedagogical  and  adminis- 
trative standpoint. 

One  supervisor  devotes  all  of  her  time  in  supervision  of  the  "regular" 
subjects  in  grades  below  high  school.  She  visits  eighty-three  teachers  in 
their  rooms,  affording  twenty  to   twenty-five  minutes  each  and  reaching  a 


certain  room  about  once  in  two  weeks.  Her  work  admirably  supplements 
that  of  the  Superintendent.  The  teaching  is  co-ordinated  in  content  and 
method,  the  teachers  are  assisted  and  encouraged,  by  helpful  hints  and 
emphasis  on  right  standards.  But  while  the  work  of  this  supervisor  serves 
directly  in  the  improvement  of  the  teaching,  it  does  not  minister  in  the  least, 
it  does  not  reach,  the  other  essential  functions  of  a  school  principal.  Nor 
can  these  functions  be  at  all  adequately  performed  by  a  regular  teacher 
released  from  her  school-room  duties  one  hour  per  day.  The  services  of  the 
principal  so  vital  to  good  school  keeping  are  not  provided  in  any  adequate 
degree  in  the  Alton  grade  schools. 

Supervision  of  Special  Subjects 

One  special  subject  supervisor  on  full  time  is  afforded  to  the  schools 
for  supervision  of  the  music  work,  and  one  supervisor  forenoons  only  for 
supervision  of  the  drawing  in  grades  below  high  school. 

In  this  discussion  of  the  supervision  of  special  subjects  careful  distinc- 
tion must  be  made  between  services  rendered  as  teacher  and  service  rendered 
as  supervisor.  The  teacher  is  in  direct  and  immediate  contact  with  the  pupils 
and  is  responsible  to  the  principal  for  the  control  of  the  pupils  and  the 
conduct  of  the  work.  The  Supervisor  watches  over  the  work  of  the  teachers 
to  guide  and  assist  them  in  their  teaching,  bringing  to  bear  on  the  problems 
that  expert  information  and  skill  which  the  regular  teacher  cannot  be 
expected  to  possess.  The  special  Supervisor  may  teach  the  pupils  directly 
herself,  but  does  so  only  to  improve  the  work  of  the  regular  teacher.  The 
extent  to  which  the  Supervisor  should  teach  and  how  and  when  and  why  are 
problems  of  pedagogy,  which  need  not  be  dealt  with  here.  The  point  imme- 
diately in  question  is  the  extent  to  which  the  Alton  grade  schools  are  pro- 
vided with  supervisors  in  special  subjects  free  from  responsibility  of  the 
immediate  and  regular  teaching  of  pupils  on  regular  schedule.  One  indi- 
vidual may-  serve  as  teacher  a  part  of  her  time,  teaching  regularly  certain 
classes  and  may  serve  as  Supervisor  a  part  of  her  time,  assisting  in  the  work 
of  other  teachers.  Such  an  arrangement  affords  special  supervision  only  a 
part  of  the  time.  Specially  trained  teachers,  dealing  with  special  subjects, 
directly  teaching  their  pupils,  are  not  supervisors  at  all;  they  are  teachers 
of  special  subjects. 

The  Alton  schools  are  afforded  special  subject  supervision,  or  teaching, 
approximately  as  follows: 

Music:  One  teacher  employed  full  time  in  supervision,  excepting 
thirty  minutes  once  per  week  during  school  hours,  directing  high 
school  chorus. 

Drawing:  One  teacher,  employed  forenoons  only  in  supervision  in 
grades,  devotes  four  afternoons  per  week  teaching  in  high  school, 
one  afternoon  in  office. 

Manual  Arts:  No  special  supervision,  two  teachers  are  employed,  one 
teaching  VII  and  VIII  grade  boys,  one  teaching  high  school 
classes  in  manual  training.  No  supervision  by  one  teacher  over 
the  work  of  the  other  is  attempted.  One  of  the  two  "does  the 
buying"  of  supplies  while  they  work  out  the  course  of  study 
together. 

Domestic  Arts:  No  special  supervision, — two  teachers  are  employed, 
one  teaching  all  the  sewing  classes  in  VII  and  VIII  grades,  one 
teaching  all  the  cooking  in  grades  and  high  school  and  the  high 
school  sewing  classes.  No  supervision  by  one  teacher  over  the 
work  of  the  other  is  attempted.  One  teacher  works  out  the 
entire  course  and  buys  all  the  material. 

Physical  Exercise:  No  special  supervision  or  teaching.  The  work  in 
simple  calisthenics  prescribed  by  state  enactment  is  done  by 
the  regular  room  teacher  in  grades,  and  by  special  subject  teach- 
ers in  high  school. 

Penmanship:     No  special  supervision  or  teaching. 
Gardening:     No  special  supervision  or  teaching. 
Primary  or  Other  Particular  Grades:     No  special  supervision. 
Kindergarten:     None  provided  in  public  schools. 

The  above  seems  a  meagre  amount  of  special  supervision  for  a  school 
system  of  the  standards  of  the  Alton  schools.  As  regards  the  quality  of  this 
supervision  there  is  good  evidence,  as  in  the  case  of  the  general  grade  super- 

8 


visor  as  noted  above,  that  the  expert  is  welcomed  in  the  school  room  by 
teachers  and  pupils,  and  that  the  best  effort  is  put  forth  to  improve  the  work. 
Some  of  the  work  observed  reflects  high  credit  on  teachers  and  pupils  an-l 
speaks  well  for  the  ability  and  teaching  skill  of  the  Supervisor.  Not  enou2:h 
special  supervision  is  afforded,  as  will  be  discussed  later.  More  gratifying 
returns  can  be  had  by  a  closer  knitting  together  both  of  efforts  and  results 
looking  towards  the  better  standardization  of  the  teaching. 

Some  improved  means  should  be  provided  for  gathering  up  the  products 
of  supervision  and  their  unification  in  the  improvement  of  teaching.  Regular 
reports  are  advised  dealing  quite  in  detail  with  conditions  as  found  in  the 
school  rooms  visited  and  noting  measures  of  improvement  undertaken  or 
advised.  Such  reports  should  be  submitted  constantly  in  writing  to  the 
Superintendent  and  filed  in  his  office  for  permanent  keeping  and  ready  refer- 
ence. They  should  form  the  basis  for  consultation  between  Superintendent 
and  Supervisors.  Oral  report  and  occasional  conference  are  not  enough, — 
they  do  not  "reach."  Permanent  records  give  stability  to  the  work  while 
definite  reports  assist  greatly  in  clarifying  the  judgment  and  training  the 
skill  in  observation  on  the  part  of  the  Supervisor. 

The  work  in  supervision  would  be  made  easier  and  more  satisfactory 
if  grade  meetings  were  instituted  for  demonstration  by  classes,  discussion 
among  teachers  and  exposition  of  methods  by  Supervisors.  In  music,  grade 
concerts  by  choruses  made  up  of  selected  pupils  from  various  schools  never 
fail  to  popularize  the  work  with  pupils  and  parents,  while  the  enthusiasm 
generated  gives  new  impetus  to  the  class-room  work.  In  drawing,  annual 
exhibits  of  pupils'  work,  including  that  of  manual  and  household  arts  as  well, 
selected,  arranged  and  mounted  in  popular,  non-technical  style,  displayed  in 
some  central  point  down  town,  open  days  and  evenings,  possibly  in  some 
vacant  store  right  on  the  sidewalk  level,  easily  accessible  and  pleasing,  will 
tell  the  story  in  a  way  that  will  reach  the  public  and  will  greatly  encourage 
the  pupils.  Periodic  display  in  the  Superintendent's  office  or  school  corridor 
of  the  work  of  the  pupils,  assembled  by  grades  and  discussed  with  teachers 
by  the  Supervisor  serves  to  standardize  and  unify  the  teaching. 

The  extent  to  which  there  should  be  expert  supervision  in  any  school 
system  is  a  relative  matter.  The  best  adjustment  depends  upon  several 
factors  of  excellence  and  the  relative  emphasis  between  them.  No  one 
answer  will  fit  every  problem.  The  capability  of  the  teachers  to  teach  a  given 
subject,  the  degree  of  emphasis  given  this  subject  in  their  professional  train- 
ing, the  inherent  difficulty  of  the  subject  as  an  art  and  of  its  teaching- 
technique,  the  demands,  statutory  and  social,  upon  the  schools  for  the 
adequate  treatment  of  the  given  subject,  and  the  ultimate  educative  value 
and  educational  importance  of  the  subject,  all  must  be  weighed  and  con- 
sidered in  arriving  at  a  fair  adjustment  of  the  problem  of  special  subject 
supervision. 

Nor  will  such  fair  adjustment,  once  arrived  at,  "stay  put."  The  needs 
of  society  change;  the  demands  of  the  state  are  modified;  new  conceptions 
of  the  function  of  public  education  are  born;  new  vocational  opportunities 
develop.  The  answer  from  the  public  schools  must  be  at  all  times  a  fair 
reply  to  the  demand  of  the  hour. 

No  survey  based  upon  two  days'  observation  of  the  schools  should  dare 
to  answer  this  question  locally.  The  demand  must  be  found  in  a  painstaking 
study  of  local  industrial,  economic,  and  social  conditions;  the  answer  must 
be  arrived  at  by  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  opportunities  afforded  in  the 
schools  with  a  grasp  of  the  real  financial  situation. 

Three  observations  are,  however,  safe  and  pertinent. 

1.  Our  whole  people  is  being  quickened  to  a  sense  of  the  absolutely 
essential  need  of  the  conservation  of  the  health  of  the  youth  of  our  land. 
Public  health  education,  public  recreation  under  responsible  supervision  en 
attractive  grounds  with  desirable  apparatus,  consistent  inspection  of  the 
person  and  rigid  regulation  of  the  home  sanitation  of  the  individual  child, 
provision  for  proper  feeding  and  decent  clothing  of  the  pupil. — all  these  are 
on  the  way  and  they  cannot  come  too  fast.  This  work  demands  expert  super- 
vision, cost  what  it  may.  Such  direction  of  school  funds  is  an  investment, 
not  an  extravagance. 

2.  The  men  of  business  and  of  industry  see  more  and  more  clearly  the 
great  importance  of  training  the  child  vocationally.  We  shall  not  contrast 
and  discuss  "vocational  vs.  cultural,"  for  they  are  not  In  apposition  and  there 
need  be  no  conflict.  Vocational  training  most  certainly  demands  more  atten- 
tion and  better  teaching  along  the  lines  of  manual  and  household  arts  as  a 
foundation  for  trade  courses  and  part  time  and  continuation  classes.  The 
teaching  of  manual  and  household  arts  necessitates  expert  supervision. 


3.  The  kindergarten  was  once  considered  a  luxury.  It  is  now  admitted 
to  have  its  peculiar  function  in  the  right  education  of  the  child.  No  child 
who  is  of  teachable  mentality  passes  through  a  real  kindergarten  experience 
without  living  a  richer  life  thereby.  His  senses  are  developed  and  sharpened, 
his  dormant  capacities  are  quickened,  his  powers  of  expression  are  trained, 
his  social  habits  are  standardized,  the  whole  child  is  put  to  school  in  the 
kindergarten.  Alton  deserves  a  kindergarten  in  every  public  school;  it  has 
none. 

Finally,  of  all  means  of  making  teachers  better  teachers,  expert  super- 
vision is  among  the  best.  Its  effects  are  immediate,  its  influences  far  reach- 
ing. Expert  supervision  is  expensive,  but  in  the  light  of  the  best  school 
keeping  it  is  the  highest  economy.  To  the  layman,  the  non-school  man,, 
expert  supervision  always  affords  an  opportunity  for  a  challenge  of  unneces- 
sary expense, — to  the  schoolmaster  whose  whole  thought  is  that  of  real 
effective  teaching  as  a  factor  in  the  best  public  education,  expert  supervision 
is  never  too  expensive,  never  more  than  adequate.  The  Alton  public  schools 
greatly  need  more  supervision, — first,  supervising  principals,  next,  expert 
supervision  in  special  subjects. 


I 


10 


TEACHERS 

by 

Dr.   E.   Gkokuk  Payxe 
Principal,  Harris  Teachers  College,  St.  Louis 


The  purpose  of  this  study  of  the  teachers  in  the  Alton  public  schools 
Is  to  determine,  so  far  as  possible,  the  educational  standards  required  of  new 
candidates  for  the  teaching  positions  in  the  Alton  elementary  and  high 
schools:  to  determine  the  qualifications  and  professional  spirit  of  those 
actually  engaged  in  the  teaching  service;  to  ascertain  the  method  of  appoint- 
ment, the  tenure,  the  methods  of  promoting,  and  the  salary  both  of  the  new 
and  old  teachers;  and  finally  to  make  recommendations  upon  these  findings 
as  to  means  of  improving  the  teaching  service  in  the  schools  of  Alton. 

With  the  problem  of  this  part  of  the  survey  in  mind  it  will  be  well  to 
note  here  briefly  the  methods  of  gathering  the  data  used.  First,  I  resorted 
to  a  questionnaire  sent  out  to  all  the  teachers  in  Alton.    It  was  as  follows: 

Questionnaire  for  Teachers,  Principals,  and  Supervisors 

Grade  teacher;  High  School;  Principal;  Supervisor;  Age;  Sex;  Years 
of  teaching  experience;  Years  in  Alton:  In  Illinois;  Elsewhere:  Are  you  a 
high  school  graduate?  Where  graduated?  When?  Normal  graduate?  Where? 
If  not  a  graduate,  how  long  did  you  attend?  Where?  When?  Did  you  attend 
College?  Number  of  years?  Did  you  graduate?  Where?  When?  Profes- 
sional training  (list  courses  in  psychology,  pedagogy,  etc.)  How  many  summer 
schools  attended  in  the  past  five  years?  Do  you  attend  teachers'  meetings? 
How  often?  Do  you  belong  to  teachers'  study  clubs?  Nature  of  clubs?  Do 
you  participate  in  extension  courses?  How  often?  Have  you  taken  correspon- 
dence courses?  How  many?  Kind?  Have  you  taken  a  leave  of  absence  for 
study?  When?  How  long?  Mention  Reading  Circle  or  other  activities.  Do 
you  find  your  supervision  helpful?  What  salary  do  you  receive?  How  much 
the  first  year  in  Alton?    When  did  you  receive  a  promotion? 

The  teachers  filled  out  the  answers,  sealed  the  paper  in  an  envelope, 
and  handed  them  to  the  principal  or  superintendent  and  they  were  mailed 
by  the  superintendent  to  me,  so  that  no  one  could  know  the  names  of  the 
individual  teachers  answering.  The  result  was  that  every  teacher  filled  out 
the  blanks  and  most  of  the  questions  were  answered.  The  answers  of  the 
teachers  gathered  in  this  manner  afford  the  data  for  the  main  part  of  my 
report.  In  addition  to  this,  however,  I  have  been  able  to  get  some  data  from 
the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  from  the  printed 
high  school  course  of  study,  and  from  the  superintendent,  who  explained 
fully  the  practices  of  the  Board.  Finally,  I  visited  one  of  the  cadets,  some 
of  the  classes  in  the  high  school,  and  many  of  the  grade  teachers  during 
their  instruction.  Besides  this  I  have  attempted,  so  far  as  possible,  to  make 
comparisons  with  other  cities  in  the  Alton  class. 

In  this  survey  I  have  grouped  all  teachers,  principals,  and  supervisors 
in  the  elementary  schools  together  for  purposes  of  study  and  analysis.  I 
have  also  made  a  like  grouping  of  high  school  teachers  and  principal.  I 
have  grouped  the  principals  and  supervisors  together  for  purposes  of  examin- 
ing the  amount  and  kind  of  training  gained  under  supervision. 

The  whole  body  of  teachers  of  Alton  responded  to  the  questionnaire 
as  follows: 

Elementary    school    principals 11 

Supervisors    4 

Elementary  school   teachers 77 

Total 92 

High  school  principals 1 

High  school  teachers 21 

Total 22 

GRAND  TOTAL 114 

There  are  actually  thirteen  grade  principals  in  Alton  but  as  all  grade 
principals,  in  addition  to  their  principal's  function,  are  teachers,  two  evidently 
reported  themselves  as  teachers.  Also,  the  domestic  science  teacher  is  both 
a  teacher  and  supervisor,  but  reported  as  teacher,  leaving  only  four  super- 
visors, as  follows:  drawing,  music,  manual  training,  and  general  supervisor 
of  the  grades, 

11 


Qualifications  of  Teachers. 

The  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Alton  have  the 
following  to  say  concerning  the  qualifications  of  teachers  who  may  be  em- 
ployed in  the  Alton  public  schools: 

"The  Committee  on  Teachers  is  instructed  to  recommend  for  positions 
in  our  grade  schools  the  following: 

"a.  Those  who  have  satisfactorily  completed  the  Teachers'  Training 
Course  of  the  Alton  public  schools  (or  an  equivalent),  and  only  those  who 
are  known  to  be  very  strong  in  the  work  of  teaching  as  shown  by  successful 
experience.* 

"b.  Those  who  have  completed  at  least  two  years  in  the  State  Normal 
School  or  its  equivalent  and  have  shown  marked  ability  to  teach. 

"*By  'successful  experience'  is  meant  the  faithful  compliance  with 
the  Rules  and  Regulations  of  the  Board,  and  successful  experience  shall  be 
based  upon  the  following: 

"A.  Preparation  for  the  work    (scholarship). 

"B.  Ability  as  a  disciplinarian. 

"C.  Non-absence  from  duties. 

"D.  Harmonious  working  with  colleagues  and  those  in  authority." 

We  note  then  three  groups  of  persons  who  may  be  employed  in  the 
Alton  elementary  schools  as  follows:  First,  those  who  have  had  the  "cadet 
course"  in  Alton;  second,  those  who  have  had  successful  experience  as  defined 
in  the  rules  quoted  above;  and  third,  those  who  are  graduates  of  a  two-year 
normal  course  or  its  equivalent  and  have  had  successful  experience.  We  wish 
to  note  here  in  more  detail  the  nature  of  the  cadet  course,  and  the  number 
of  teachers  coming  under  the  different  heads. 

The  cadet  course  of  Alton  presupposes  the  pedagogy  course  in  the  high 
school,  which  is  as  follows:  First  year,  Latin  or  German  or  Ancient  History, 
Drawing,  Singing.  Second  year,  Latin  or  German,  Ancient  History  or  Zoology, 
(1),  and  Botany,  (2),  Civics,  (1)  and  (2),  Drawing,  Singing.  Third  year, 
Modern  History,  English  History,  (1)  and  (2),  Commercial  Arithmetic, 
Drawing,  Singing.  Fourth  year,  American  History,  Psychology,  (1),  Pedagogy, 
(2),  and  Commercial  Geography:  but  this  course  is  not  required.  In  case 
graduates  of  other  courses  wish  to  become  teachers,  they  may  do  so.  After 
a  teacher  graduates  from  the  Alton  High  School,  preferably  from  the  pedagogy 
course,  she  enters  the  school  as  a  cadet  and  spends  the  morning  session  for 
two  years  in  observation  and  practice  teaching.  She  spends  one  hour  in 
teaching  the  first  year  and  two  hours  in  the  second  year.  When  the  super- 
intendent finds  time  from  other  duties,  he  meets  these  cadets  for  one  hour 
each  week  for  the  discussion  of  methods.  Of  the  ninety-two  teachers,  includ- 
ing elementary  school  principals  and  supervisors,  twenty  stated  that  they 
had  taken  the  cadet  course,  after  completing  the  pedagogy  course  in  the 
high  school,  and  fifty-five  others  had  had  no  psychology  nor  pedagogy.  They 
graduated  from  the  general  or  some  other  course  in  the  Alton  High  School 
or  some  other  high  school.  These  two  groups  comprise  about  seventy-nine 
per  cent  of  the  whole  teaching  body  in  the  elementary  schools. 

Of  the  nineteen  teachers  not  included  in  the  first  group,  sixteen  fall 
under  the  second  class  as  those  who  have  had  successful  experience,  and  the 
three  remaining  are  those  of  the  third,  or  normal  school  graduates.  The 
point  I  want  to  call  attention  to  here  is  the  marked  preponderance  of  teachers 
who  have  been  taken  into  the  corps  from  the  Alton  training  course. 

An  interesting  comparison  may  be  made  with  the  data  gathered  from 
1,311  cities  ranging  in  population  from  2.500  to  25,000,  published  in  Bureau 
of  Education  Bulletin  No.  44,  1915,  in  which  it  is  stated  that  cities  employing 
36  per  cent  of  all  the  teachers  require  a  normal  diploma  before  employment. 
The  committee,  created  by  the  legislature  of  Wyoming  and  appointed  by  the 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Wyoming,  recommended  that  all  rural  and  city 
teachers  be  required  to  have  a  normal  school  diploma  by  September,  1922. 
The  statement  is  as  follows: 

"The  legislature  should  fix  an  early  date  after  which  no  teacher 
should  be  engaged  who  has  not  an  education  equivalent  to  graduation  from 
a  four-year  high  school  and  a  minimum  of  professional  work  in  some  approved 
school.  The  requirement  for  the  professional  preparation  should  be  in- 
creased, so  that  on  and  after  the  1st  of  September,  1922,  it  will  include 
graduation  from  a  two-year  course  in  a  standard  normal  school  whose 
entrance  requirements  presuppose  four  years  of  standard  high  school  work 
or  its  equivalent." 

12 


The  same  report  has  the  following  to  say  about  the  professional  train- 
ing of  teachers  (Bulletin  Bureau  of  Education  Nq.  29,  1916): 

"The  amount  of  general  education  and  professional  training  required 
for  teaching  is  being  raised  rapidly  throughout  the  country  as  more  and  more 
trained  persons  become  available.  Very  few  cities  in  the  United  States 
employ  teachers  who  have  not  had  the  equivalent  of  a  standard  high  school 
course  and  two  years  of  normal  school  work.  Those  with  less  training  have 
found  employment  in  country  schools.  In  order  to  force  the  employment  of 
better  qualified  teachers  in  rural  districts,  State  laws  have  been  passed  in 
several  states  prohibiting  the  employment  of  persons  with  less  than  a 
specified  amount  of  general  and  professional  education  after  certain  dates. 
Ohio,  for  instance,  in  1913,  enacted  the  following  law:  'Unless  said  applicant 
is  a  graduate  of  a  college  or  university  of  approved  educational  standing, 
shall  possess  an  amount  of  professional  training  consisting  of  class-room 
instruction  in  a  recognized  institution  for  the  training  of  teachers,  not  less 
than  the  following:  After  January  1,  1916,  such  applicant  shall  possess  not 
less  than  six  weeks  of  such  instruction;  after  January  1,  1917,  not  less  than 
12  weeks  of  such  instruction;  after  January  1.  1918,  not  less  than  18.  weeks 
of  such  instruction;  after  January  1,  1919,  not  less  than  24  weeks  of  such 
instruction;  after  January  1,  1920,  not  less  than  30  weeks  of  such  instruction; 
after  January  1,  1921,  not  less  than  one  year  of  such  class-room  instruction 
in  a  recognized  school  for  the  training  of  teachers.'  " 

It  must  be  kept  in  mind  that  this  is  a  requirement  for  rural  school 
teachers. 

Also  an  interesting  comparison  may  be  made  with  Owensboro,  Ken- 
tucky, a  city  about  the  size  of  Alton.  The  following  is  their  salary  schedule 
based  upon  experience,  education,  and  merit,  which  shows  the  qualifications 
necessary  for  appointment  and  promotion: 

Class  C.  To  be  eligible  to  Class  C,  a  teacher  must  have  the  following 
qualifications: 

1.  Graduation  from  an  accredited  high  school  or  a  recognized  equiva- 
lent. 

2.  A  minimum  of  20  weeks'  study  in  some  standard  normal  school  or 
college.    The  course  must  include  some  observation  work  or  practice  teaching. 

3.  A  State  or  city  certificate. 

The  salary  of  teachers  of  this  class  shall  be  $40  per  month. 

Class  B.  To  be  eligible  to  Class  B,  the  teacher  must  have  the  following 
qualifications: 

1.  Graduation  from  an  accredited  high  school  or  recognized  equivalent. 

2.  A  minimum  of  36  weeks'  study  in  a  standard  normal  school  or 
college.  At  least  one-fourth  of  this  work  must  be  along  professional  lines  and 
must  include  both  observation  work  and  practice  teaching. 

3.  Experience  of  27  months  or  more  in  Owensboro  city  schools  or 
schools  or  equal  standing. 

4.  A  success  grade  of  85  or  above. 

5.  A  State  or  city  certificate. 

The  salary  of  teachers  of  Class  B  shall  be:  for  grades  1,  5,  6,  7,  8,  $55 
per  month;   for  grades  2,  3,  4,  $52.50  per  month. 

Class  A.  To  be  eligible  to  Class  A,  the  teacher  must  have  the  following 
qualifications: 

1.  Graduation  from  an  accredited  high  school  or  recognized  equivalent. 

2.  Graduation  from  an  accredited  normal  school  or  college  requiring  at 
least  a  two-year  course  above  the  accredited  high  school.  One-fourth  of  this 
work  must  be  along  professional  lines  and  must  include  at  least  20  weeks  of 
observation  work  and  practice  teaching. 

3.  Experience  of  45  months  or  more  in  Owensboro  schools,  or  schools 
of  equal  standing. 

4.  A  success  grade  of  95  or  above. 

5.  A  life  State  diploma  or  certificate. 

The  salary  of  teachers  of  this  group  shall  be:  For  grades  1,  5,  6,  7,  8, 
$65  per  month;  for  grades  2,  3,  4,  $62.50. 

High  school  teachers  in  Alton  may  not  be  appointed  unless  they  are 
college  graduates,  and  all  in  the  present  corps  are  graduates  except  one. 


13 


Analysis  of  Teaching  Corps 

Age  Table.                                              Grades.  High  School. 

Under    20    years 1  0 

20-24   „-  19  1 

25-39    28  11 

30-34    11  '3 

35-39    7  2 

40-44   4  1 

45-49    2  2 

50  and  over 19  2 

Age  not  given 10 

TOTAL 92  22 

The  average  age  of  those  in  the  grades  who  a-re  fifty  or  more  is  fifty-six 
years.  This  is  an  unusual  percentage  of  teachers  of  this  age,  which  may  not 
be  an  objection  in  itself,  but  would  be  a  serious  matter  where  teachers  have 
not  kept  abreast  of  educational  progress.  The  ages  of  the  high  school  teachers 
present  no  unusual  features. 

Teaching   Experience 

Of  the  ninety-four  teachers  in  the  grades,  including  principals  and 
supervisors,  fifty-six  have  never  taught  outside  of  Alton.  Of  these  fifty-six, 
nine  have  taught  twenty  years  or  more,  eight  have  taught  from  ten  to  nineteen 
years,  and  thirty-nine  have  taught  less  than  ten  years.  The  average  tenure 
per  teacher  is  about  eleven  years.  The  thirty-eight  who  have  taught  outside 
of  Alton  have  taught  a  total  of  397  years  or  an  average  of  eleven  and  one-half 
years  in  Alton,  a  total  of  244  years  in  Illinois,  or  an  average  of  six  and  one- 
half  years,  and  a  total  of  fifteen  and  one-half  years  outside  of  Illinois,  or  an 
average  of  less  than  one-half  year.  For  these  thirty-eight  teachers,  the  average 
length  of  service  is  about  eighteen  and  one-half  years.  The  twenty-one  high 
school  teachers,  including  principal,  have  taught  ninety-eight  years  in  Alton, 
ninety-three  years  in  Illinois,  outside  of  Alton,  and  seventeen  years  outside 
of  the  State. 

Educational  Status 

We  noted  above  the  kinds  of  persons  who  may  be  employed  in  the 
Alton  Public  Schools,  but  I  wish  to  point  out  here  somewhat  more  specifically, 
the  educational  status  of  the  teaching  body.  Eighty-two  out  of  a  total  of 
ninety-two  engaged  in  elementary  school  work  are  high  school  graduates, 
three  are  graduates  from  a  normal  school,  and  four  are  college  graduates. 
Fifteen  out  of  the  ninety-two  have  attended  a  normal  school,  one  for  two 
and  one-half  years,  two  for  one  year  each,  and  twelve  attended  from  three  to 
eighteen  weeks.  Of  the  twenty-two  who  attended  college,  three  attended  three 
years,  one  attended  two  and  one-half  years,  five  for  two  years,  and  thirteen 
for  one  year  or  less.  Seventy-seven  of  the  eighty-two  high  school  graduates 
received  their  training  in  the  Alton  High  School.  As  noted  above,  all  except 
one  of  the  High  School  teachers  are  college  graduates;  however,  nine  of  the 
twenty-one  teachers  graduated  from  Shurtleff  College  in  Alton.  Nineteen 
are  graduates  of  a  high  school:  and  ten  of  these  are  from  the  Alton  High 
School.  Shurtleff  College  is  recognized  by  the  State  Department  of  Education 
of  Illinois  for  admission  to  the  examination  for  state  or  county  certificate, 
but  the  certificate  is  recognized  for  only  one  year.  It  may,  however,  be  given 
recognition  for  two  years  if  it  continues  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
State  Department. 

Professional  Training 

It  is  rather  difficult  to  summarize  the  professional  work  of  the  Alton 
teachers,  but  in  general  it  might  be  said  that  the  grade  teachers  have  received 
their  professional  training  mainly  in  the  Alton  school  in  the  "cadet  course.^' 
On  the  other  hand,  the  high  school  teachers  have  taken  some  courses  in 
general  psychology,  ethics,  logic,  and  the  history  of  education  as  a  regular 
part  of  their  college  courses,  which  did  not  have  a  pedagogical  aim.  These 
courses,  moreover,  have  not  generally  been  taken  recently  enough  to  familiar- 
ize one  with  modern  educational  theory.  No  specific  courses  in  theory  or 
practice  are  reported  by  high  school  teachers. 

An  interesting  comparison  of  the  Alton  conditions  may  be  made  with 
the  requirements  of  the  North  Central  Association  for  secondary  teachers. 

14 


The  requirements  are  as  follows:  "All  teachers  teaching  one  or  more 
academic  subjects  must  satisfy  the  following  standards: 

"A.  The  minimum  attainment  of  teachers  of  any  academic  subject  will 
be  equivalent  to  graduation  from  a  college  belonging  to  the  North  Central 
Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools  requiring  the  completion  of 
a  four-year  course  of  study,  or  120  semester  hours,  in  advance  of  a  standard 
four-year  high 'school  course.  Such  requirement  shall  not  be  construed  as 
retroactive. 

"B.  The  minimum  professional  training  of  teachers  of  any  academic 
subject  shall  be  at  least  eleven  semester  hours  in  education.  This  should 
include  special  study  of  the  subject-matter  and  pedagogy  of  the  subject  to  be 
taught.  Such  requirements  shall  not  be  construed  as  retroactive.  (For  the 
succeeding  year  the  Board  will  interpret  courses  in  education  as  the  same 
courses  are  interpreted  by  the  colleges  or  universities  offering  them.) 

"C.  If  a  teacher  of  one  or  more  academic  subjects  new  to  a  given 
school  does  not  fully  meet  the  requirements  of  Standard  2,  A  and  B,  a  state- 
ment concerning  the  training,  experience,  and  efficiency  of  the  said  teacher, 
certified  by  the  superintendent  or  principal,  shall  be  presented  by  them  to 
the  inspector  along  with  the  annual  report  of  the  school;  and  the  Inspector 
shall  submit  the  same  to  the  Board  of  Inspectors,  together  with  his  recom- 
mendation.    The  Board  shall,  on  each  case  so  presented,  make  a  decision." 

In  admitting  graduates  from  Shurtleff  College  to  the  teaching  corps  of 
Alton,  the  Board  is  not  meeting  the  requirements  of  the  North  Central  Asso- 
ciation. Probably  the  school  authorities  have  it  in  mind  to  make  their  new 
teachers  conform  to  the  requirements  of  the  North  Central  Association. 

The  grade  teacliers  report  the  following  courses  in  theory  and  practice: 
One  course  in  primary  methods,  one  in  the  teaching  process,  one  term  in 
theory,  one  term  in  practice  teaching,  one  year  in  the  theory  of  teaching, 
one  graduate  of  the  Harris  Teachers'  College,  which  includes  in  its  course 
such  professional  subjects  as  educational  psychology,  child  psychology,  theory 
of  education,  primary  methods,  educational  sociology,  special  method  of  the 
various  elementary  school  subjects,  and  one-half  year  in  observation  and 
practice  teaching,  one  course  in  general  methods,  and  one  in  kindergarten 
and  primary. 

It  is  probable  that  these  courses  do  not  represent  all  the  professional 
training,  since  those  who  have  attended  normal  schools,  while  taking  for  the 
most  part  content  subjects,  no  doubt  received  incidentally  some  professional 
training. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  better  clue  to  the  extent  to  which  teachers  are 
awake  to  modern  educational  theory  and  practice  than  the  degree  to  which 
they  have  participated  in  summer  schools,  extension  courses,  correspondence 
courses,  etc.  For  that  reason  I  included  in  the  questionnaire  questions  that 
would  elicit  statements  upon  these  points.  The  following  table  shows  the 
participation  in  summer  schools  in  the  past  five  years  in  the  grades  and 
high  school: 

Summer    School    Attendance 

Grades.  High  School. 

Possible  terms  in  the  summer  school  in 
the  past  five  years    (Principal  and 

teachers)  460          105 

Actual  participation  (single  times) 53  15 

Actual  participation   (number  of  teach- 
ers)    34  10 

Number  attending  five  summers 1  0 

Number  attending  four  summers 1  0             - 

Number  attending  three  summers 3  1 

Number  attending  two  summers 6  3 

Number  attending  one  summer 23  6 

It  should  be  noted  that  eleven  of  the  grade  teachers,  or  12  per  cent, 
have  attended  a  total  of  thirty  single  times  or  summers;  twenty-three,  or  24 
per  cent,  have  attended  twenty-three  single  summers;  and  sixty  teachers,  or 
64  per  cent,  have  not  attended  a  summer  school  in  the  past  five  years.  On 
the  other  hand,  four  high  school  teachers,  or  18  per  cent,  have  attended  nine 
summers;  six,  or  22  per  cent,  have  attended  six  summers;  and  eleven,  or 
50  per  cent,  have  not  attended  summer  school  at  all  in  the  past  five  years. 

The  three  means  of  improvement  in  service,  extension  courses,  corre- 
spondence courses,  leaves  of  absence  for  study,  have  hardly  been  taken 
advantage  of  or  perhaps  thought  of.    There  is  no  leave  of  absence  for  study 

15 


reported.  In  fact  there  is  no  provision  made  by  the  Board  of  Education  for 
such  means  of  improvement,  and  the  only  way  to  take  a  leave  is  to  resign 
/rom  the  service,  and  very  likely  after  such  leave,  the  teacher  takes  a  more 
remunerative  position  elsewhere  and  does  not  return  to  service  in  Alton. 
This  practice  usually  tends  to  drain  the  teaching  body  of  the  most  progressive 
teachers.  Only  two  or  three  teachers  mentioned  extension  courses,  saying 
that  they  took  them  when  extension  lecturers  came  to  Alton.  Seventy-four 
of  the  grade  teachers  and  nine  of  the  high  school  teachers  have  taken  corre- 
spondence courses.  All  these  seventy-two  grade  teachers  took  one  course 
each;  namely.  Palmer's  Method  in  Penmanship,  while  the  nine  high  school 
teachers  took  courses  as  follows:  Three  English,  one  penmanship,  one 
playground,  one  economics,  one  shorthand,  one  German  composition,  and  one 
civil  engineering. 

Four  other  means  of  improvement  in  service  may  be  mentioned: 
Teachers'  study  clubs,  reading  circles,  teachers'  meetings,  and  improvement 
through  supervision.  In  two  or  three  cases  teachers'  study  clubs  were 
mentioned  in  the  answers,  but  upon  inquiry  it  was  found  that  these  clubs 
were  most  likely  composed  of  those  teachers  who  get  together  at  the  noon 
hour  to  read  books,  and  therefore  could  not  be  regarded  as  clubs  for  pro- 
fessional improvement  in  accordance  with  the  aim  of  the  questionnaire. 
Moreover,  work  done  in  this  manner  could  hardly  have  an  appreciable  effect 
upon  the  teaching.  Furthermore,  the  teachers'  meetings  do  not  concern 
themselves  with  problems  of  supervision,  but  merely  with  questions  of 
administration.  In  fact,  it  was  the  feeling  of  the  principals  with  whom  I 
discussed  the  matter  that  they  had  no  time  for  supervision  in  the  true  sense. 
The  one  or  two  hours,  as  the  case  may  be,  in  which  they  are  not  teaching,  are 
necessary  for  dealing  with  problems  of  administrative  detail.  On  the  other 
hand,  all  teachers  reported  -to  have  followed  the  reading  circle  course  from 
year  to  year,  but  there  is  no  check  upon  the  extent  to  which  the  teachers 
have  read  or  profited  by  the  reading,  and  therefore  this  could  not  be  regarded 
as  a  very  effective  means  for  the  improvement  of  the  teacher  in  service.  The 
most  important  of  these  means  of  improvement  is  through  effective  supervi- 
sion. 

It  is  the  practice  in  training  schools  throughout  the  country  to  put 
less  emphasis  in  training  upon  those  subjects  which  are  specially  supervised 
in  the  schools,  such  as  music,  art,  etc.,  and  where  trained  supervisors  are 
present,  and  a  good  foundation  is  given  during  the  period  of  training,  effective 
training  may  be  given  in  service.  While  the  general  and  professional  training 
of  the  Alton  special  supervisors  is  meagre,  the  supervisors  have  made 
an  effort  to  remedy  this  defect  by  attendance  at  summer  schools.  Out  of  a 
possible  twenty  participations  in  summer  school  work,  the  supervisors  have 
attended  eleven.  They  took  the  following  professional  courses:  the  teaching 
process,  one;  psychology,  two;  general  method,  one;  philosophy  of  education, 
one;  school  management,  ope;  pedagogy,  two;  public  school  music,  one. 

This  is  in  distinct  contrast  with  the  grade  principals,  who  have  attended 
six  summers  out  of  a  possible  fifty-five,  who  in  general  have  very  limited 
education,  and  who  have  taken  almost  no  professional  courses.  Where 
professional  courses  have  been  taken,  the  work  is  not  recent  enough  to  be  of 
great  value  in  helping  the  young  teacher.  The  Alton  grade  principals  have 
an  abundance  of  "experience."  The  total  years  taught  by  the  Alton  grade 
principals  is  352  years,  or  an  average  of  thirty-two  years;  232  years  of  this 
total  was  taught  in  Alton,  or  an  average  of  twenty-one  years.  In  indicating 
the  small  amount  of  professional  work,  I  am  stating  a  condition  here  and 
am  not  attempting  to  locate  the  blame  for  this  condition.  No  doubt  the  low 
salary  paid  to  the  principals  and  the  necessity  of  supplementing  their  earn- 
ings by  outside  endeavors  is  partly  responsible.  However,  the  condition  is 
no  less  serious  on  this  account. 

Salaries 

In  order  to  determine  the  condition  of  the  teaching  profession,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  examine  the  salary  schedule  and  the  salaries  actually  paid 
and,  so  far  as  possible,  compare  them  with  salaries  paid  in  other  cities  of  a 
similar  class.  The  salary  schedule  for  grade  and  high  school  teachers  is  as 
follows: 

1st  2d  3d  4th  5th 

Year.        Year.       Year.       Year.         Year. 

First  to  Sixth  Grades $450         $500         $550         $600         $    650 

Seventh  and  Eighth  Grades 550  600  650  700  750 

Supervisor  of  Music 750  850  900  950  1,050 

Supervisor  of  Drawing 750  850  900  950  1,050 

16 


Principals  will  receive  $50  a  year  additional  to  their  scheduled  salaries 
for  each  room  under  their  supervision. 

1st  2d  3d           4th  5th  6th 

Year.  Year.  Year.  Year.  Year.  Year. 

High  School  Women $700  $750  $800  $850  $    950  $1,050 

High  School  Men 800  850  900           950  1,050  1,150 

A  comparison  of  Alton  salaries  actually  paid  with  those  paid  in  cities 
under  twenty-five  thousand  population  shows  the  following  result: 

High  Schools — 

Minimum  Maximum  Average  Alton 

Principal   $675  $?.,000  $1,673  $2,000 

Vice-Principal    810  2,400  1,287  1,300 

Teachers    100  2,250  897  1,100 

Grade  Schools — 

Minimum  Maximum  Average  Alton 

Principal  $270  $2,250  $    905  $1,000-$!, 550 

Teachers    38  1,500  602  550-      950 

A  further  analysis  shows  that  two  of  the  high  school  teachers  receive 
$800;  two,  $850;  three,  $900;  one,  $1,000;  two,  $1,050;  seven,  $1,100;  three, 
$1,200;  while  the  salaries  of  the  grade  teachers  distribute  themselves  as 
follows:  One  teacher  receives  $400;  three,  $450;  five,  $500;  eight,  $550;  five, 
$600;  twenty-seven,  $650;  eleven,  $700;  twelve,  $750;  one,  $800;  five,  $850; 
one,  $950. 


Selecting  Teachers 

All  teachers  are  selected  by  a  "committee  on  teachers,  composed  of  five 
members,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  investigate  the  qualifications  of  applicants 
for  positions  as  teacher.  They  shall  prepare  annually  and  submit  at  the 
regular  meeting  of  the  Board  in  May,  a  list  of  competent  teachers  for 
positions  for  the  next  school  year,  with  recommendations  as  to  their  salaries," 
The  superintendents  and  principals  have  no  official  responsibility  in  the 
appointment  of  teachers,  but  actually  the  superintendent  is  generally  con- 
sulted in  making  up  the  list  for  appointment.  The  Board,  however,  selects 
all  those  completing  the  cadet  course,  and  every  one  can  complete  it,  and  does 
not  select  them  according  to  any  efficiency  rating.  Pull  might  sometimes  put 
the  poorest  cadet  in  the  first  place.  The  fact  is,  misuse  of  the  appointing 
power  has  almost  universally  resulted  where  all  the  responsibility  lies  in  the 
hands  of  the  Board,  and  where  teachers  are  expected  to  apply  to  members 
of  the  Board  for  their  places.  Under  the  free  interpretation  of  the  instruc- 
tions to  the  committee  relating  to  the  appointment  of  teachers,  or  under 
selection  without  professional  advice,  highly  incompetent  persons  might  be 
employed  and  continued  from  year  to  year  in  the  service.  For  instance,  the 
committee  may  select  persons  who  have  had  successful  experieiice.  "By 
'successful  experience'  is  meant  the  faithful  compliance  with  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  Board  and  shall  be  based  upon  the  following:  a.  Prepara- 
tion for  work  (scholarship),  b.  Ability  as  a  disciplinarian,  c.  Non-absence 
from  duties,  d.  Harmonious  working  with  colleagues  and  those  in  authority." 
These  requirements  may  mean  anything  and  oftentimes  do  mean,  in  other 
cities,  the  desire  of  a  Board  member  to  have  a  person  appointed  to  satisfy 
political  or  other  obligation. 

Pro,motion 

Promotion  is  made  on  the  basis  of  experience,  with  this  exception: 
"The  Board  reserves  the  right  to  decrease  for  any  irregularities  or  increase 
for  special  merit  or  extraordinary  success  the  above  schedule  for  any  teacher. 
This  must  be  done,  however,  at  some  special  meeting  of  the  Board,  by  a 
unanimous  vote."  It  will  be  seen  from  the  schedule  quoted  on  another  page 
that  an  advance  of  $50  a  year  is  made  for  five  years.  After  ten  years  of 
service  another  $50  is  added,  if  the  teacher  is  continued  in  service.  The 
Bureau  of  Education,  in  its  study  of  promotions  (Bulletin  No.  44,  1915)  says: 
"It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  promotion  on  experience  alone  does  not  always 
reward  the  teachers  who  are  making  the  most  improvement,  and  that  this 
method  does  not  tend  to  call  forth  the  best  effort  on  the  part  of  the  teachers." 

The  Alton  plan  of  promotion  is  a  vitally  weak  spot  in  the  Alton  school 
system.  Salary  schedules  should  be  based  upon  the  four  factors,  experience, 
education,   professional   training,   and   success   or   efficiency,   and   promotion 


17 


should  be  made  on  the  conditions  laid  down  in  the  schedule.  The  Bureau 
of  Education  in  its  report  suggests  two  schedules,  as  follows:  (This  schedule 
presupposes  a  four-year  high  school  course  and  includes  one  year  of  profes- 
sional training.) 

Class  D.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class,  a  candidate  must  have  completed 
a  four-year  high  school  course  and  have  had  36  weeks'  professional  training. 
Those  eligible  to  this  class  will  receive  the  minimum  salary. 

Class  G.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class,  a  teacher  must  have  had  48  weeks 
of  professional  preparation  and  2  years'  experience,  unless  72  weeks  of 
professional  training  had  been  secured  before  entering  Class  D,  in  which 
case  only  one  year's  experience  is  required  to  enter  Class  C.  A  success  grade 
of  80  is  required. 

Class  B.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class  a  teacher  must  have  had  60  weeks 
of  professional  training  and  4  years'  experience,  unless  72  weeks  of  profes- 
sional training  had  been  secured  before  entering  Class  D  or  C,  in  which  case 
only  3  years'  experience  is  required  to  enter  Class  B.  A  success  grade  of 
85  is  required. 

Class  A.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class  a  teacher  must  have  had' 72 
weeks  of  professional  training  and  6  years'  experience,  except  for  those  who 
have  had  72  weeks'  professional  training  before  entering  Class  B  or  C,  in 
which  c'ase  only  5  years'  experience  is  demanded.  A  success  grade  of  90  is 
required.     Those  eligible  to  this  class  will  receive  the  maximum  salary. 

The  second  schedule  presupposes  a  four-year  high  school  course  and 
requires  two  years  of  professional  preparation. 

Class  D.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class,  a  candidate  must  have  had  72 
weeks'  professional  training  in  addition  to  a  four-year  high  school  course. 
Those  eligible  to  this  class  will  receive  the  minimum  salary. 

Class  C.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class,  a  teacher  must  have  had  one 
year  of  experience  and  a  success  grade  of  80. 

Class  B.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class,  a  teacher  must  have  had  three 
years'  experience  and  a  success  grade  of  85. 

Class  A.  To  be  eligible  to  this  class,  a  teacher  must  have  had  78 
weeks'  professional  training,  5  years'  experience,  and  a  success  grade  of  90. 
Those  eligible  to  this  class  will  receive  the  maximum  salary. 

The  Owensboro  schedule,  as  given  above,  is  suggestive.  Also  the  plan 
of  Beaver  Falls,  Pa.,  is  worth  giving  here  to  bring  the  plan  of  other  cities 
such  as  Alton  into  contrast  with  Alton. 

Class  1.  Teachers  holding  a  permanent  State  certificate.  State  normal 
school  diploma,  or  a  permanent  college  certificate  and  showing  evidence  of 
at  least  three  years'  successful  experience  in  schools  approved  by  the  Board. 

Class  2.  Teachers  holding  a  professional  certificate.  State  normal 
school  certificate,  or  professional  college  certificate  and  showing  evidence 
of  at  least  two  years'  successful  experience  in  schools  approved  by  the  Board. 

Class  3.  Teachers  holding  a  provisional  certificate,  without  three 
years'  successful  experience  in  schools  approved  by  the  Board. 

Minimum  and  maximum  salaries  are  fixed  for  Classes  2  and  3,  and  a 
minimum  and  maximum  automatic  increase  is  fixed  for  Class  1.  Teachers 
belonging  to  Class  1  who  possess  special  qualifications  may  receive  a  salary 
beyond  the  maximum  for  automatic  increase.  Provision  is  made  for  an 
automatic  increase  in  salary  according  to  a  definite  increment  for  a  teacher 
having  a  satisfactory  efficiency  record  until  she  reaches  the  maximum  salary 
for  the  class  to  which  she  belongs  or  acquires  the  qualifications  which  place 
her  in  another  class.  Each  teacher  is  given  her  rating  twice  a  year  before 
it  is  reported  to  the  school  board. 

Tenure 

"The  tenure  of  office  of  all  teachers  shall  be  at  the  will  and  pleasure 
of  the  Board.  After  four  years  of  successful  teaching  in  the  Alton  Public 
Schools,  a  teacher  is  not  required  to  make  application  for  the  position. 
During  the  first  four  years  of  his  service,  however,  annual  application  for 
position  will  be  required.  Superior  qualifications  as  to  moral  character, 
literary  attainments,  industry,  and  practical  skill  shall  be  specially  regarded 
in  their  employment  and  continuance.  They  shall  have  the  right  to  resign 
only  when  two  weeks'  notice  of  such  intention  is  given;  and  the  Board 
reserves  the  right,  as  provided  by  statute  and  ordinance,  to  dismiss  or  remove 

18 


any  teacher  whenever  in  their  opinion  he  or  she  is  not  qualified  to  teach, 
or  whenever  from  any  cause  the  interest  of  the  schools  may,  in  their  opinion, 
require  such  action." 

The  general  practice  in  making  the  continuance  of  the  employment  at 
the  pleasure  of  the  Board  is  the  common  practice  throughout  the  country, 
but  the  practice  in  Alton,  of  having  the  teachers  make  formal  application  for 
their  first  four  years  of  service,  is  highly  questionable.  As  long  as  a  person 
must  make  formal  application  each  year  and  has  a  feeling  of  uncertainty,  he 
is  not  apt  to  do  his  best  work.  This  practice  grew  out  of  the  false  premise 
that  a  person  will  do  better  work  if  he  is  not  too  sure  of  his  position.  The 
practice  is  based  upon  bad  psychology  and  a  wrong  conception  of  human 
nature. 

Recommendation 

1.  The  fact  most  striking  to  the  surveyor  is  the  extent  of  the  inbreeding 
in  the  Alton  schools.  It  may  practically  be  said  that  the  children  receive 
their  training  in  Alton  schools;  they  are  then  trained  to  teach  by  observation 
under  teachers  who  have  had  nearly  all  of  their  training  there;  and  these 
teachers  in  turn  train  other  teachers  who  are  entering  the  service;  simply 
an  endless  circle.  There  should  be  an  immediate  change  of  policy.  The 
graduates  of  the  Alton  High  School  should  be  required  to  take  their  profes- 
sional  training  elsewhere  before  entering  the  service  in  Alton. 

2.  The  fact  is,  local  training  cannot  be  effective  in  a  city  the  size  of 
Alton,  because  the  funds  are  not  available  for  securing  a  competent  faculty. 
It  is  much  less  expensive  to  a  city  of  the  size  of  Alton  to  pay  for  the  whole 
two  years  of  training  in  a  standard  Normal  than  to  employ  a  competent 
faculty  to  train  the  needed  teachers  at  home.  Besides,  the  advantage  of  the 
contact  with  other  groups  of  educators  and  school  people,  something  that 
one  cannot  have  in  such  a  small  local  training  school,  is  invaluable.  As  it 
is,  the  training  in  Alton  is  wholly  inadequate,  even  if  it  were  given  under  the 
most  skilled  of  teachers.  It  is  not  as  much  as  is  now  generally  required  of 
teachers  in  rural  schools,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  case  of  Ohio  and  Wyoming, 
Missouri,  Indiana,  etc.  The  training  does  not  compare  at  all  favorably  with 
cities  in  the  Alton  class.  Owensboro,  for  instance,  pays  much  lower  salaries 
(a  maximum  of  $650,  as  compared  with  $850),  and  yet  the  least  amount  of 
training  in  Owensboro  is  twenty  weeks  beyond  the  four-year  high  school 
course  in  a  standard  norma]  school.  In  order  to  reach  the  maximum  salary 
there,  the  teacher  must  have  a  diploma  from  a  standard  normal.  The 
qualifications  for  entrance  into  the  Alton  schools  is  entirely  too  low.  In 
order  to  put  Alton  on  the  same  plane  as  that  of  cities  of  her  rank,  she  should 
have  requirements  as  follows: 

a.  Graduates  of  standard  four-year  high  school,  with  no  professional 
work  offered  as  a  part  of  the  sixteen  units  required  for  graduation. 

b.  A  diploma  from  the  two-years'  course  in  a  standard  normal  school. 

3.  Immediate  steps  should  be  taken  for  the  improvement  of  the  present 
teaching  corps.  The  most  obvious  ways  for  this  to  be  done  are  for  them  to 
participate  in  correspondence  courses,  extension  courses  which  might  be 
provided  by  the  Alton  School  Board,  and  courses  in  summer  schools.  It 
would  not  be  too  much  to  expect  each  teacher  to  add  six  weeks  of  professional 
training  each  year  to  her  present  training,  until  she  has  at  least  one  year  of 
professional  training  in  some  standard  school. 

4.  Requirements  for  new  teachers  in  the  high  school  should  bp  made 
to  conform  to  the  recommendations  of  the  North  Central  Association  as  out- 
lined above. 

5.  The  present  high  school  corps  should  follow  the  methods  suggested 
in  recommendations  for  grade  teachers.  Perhaps  the  best  thing  would  be 
for  all  of  them  to  attend  the  Summer  Sessions  of  the  State  Normal  Schools 
or  the  State  University. 

6.  New  supervisors  and  principals  should  be  selected  from  persons  who 
have  training  in  teachers'  colleges,  who  have  specialized  in  education,  and 
who  have  the  equivalent  of  the  B.  A.  degree  in  Education.  The  practice  of 
promoting  those  to  the  position  of  supervisors  and  principals  with  nothing 
else  to  recommend  them  than  length  of  service  and  "successful  experience" 
would  demoralize  any  teaching  body. 

7.  The  present  supervisors  and  principals  should  be  encouraged  to  take 
leaves  of  absence  for  study  and  improvement,  and  they  should  be  expected 
to  attend  Summer  Schools  for  professional  work.     Principals  of  the  larger 

19 


schools  should  not  teach,  but  should  devote  all  their  time  to  administration 
and  supervision.  Several  small  schools  might  be  grouped  together  and  put 
under  one  principal,  if  one  school  did  not  require  all  his  time  . 

8.  The  method  of  selecting  teachers  should  be  changed.  They  should 
be  selected  by  the  Board  from  the  list  prepared  by  the  superintendent  of 
instruction,  and  if  the  Board  supervises  the  preparation  of  its  teachers,  they 
should  be  called  into  service  automatically  from  a  list  arranged  in  order  of 
their  qualifications.  The  superintendent,  w^ho  should  seek  the  advice  of  his 
principals  and  supervisors,  should  be  responsible  .for  the  selection  of  the 
teaching  corps. 

9.  The  plan  of  promotion  in  Alton  is  undesirable  and  should  be  changed^ 
at  once.  The  basis  of  promotion  should  be  experience,  professional  training, 
education,  and  efficiency.  The  measurement  of  these  qualities  should  be 
made,  so  far  as  possible,  by  recognized  standards  or  objective  standards,  and 
should  not  be  left  to  the  individual  standard  of  members  of  the  Alton  School 
Board.  It  might  be  urged  that  these  standards  have  been  applied  to  the 
Alton  teachers,  but  when  these  teachers  are  measured  by  recognized  standards 
we  see  how  much  they  fall  below  the  requirements  of  other  cities.  I  do  not 
mean  in  teaching  capacity,  as  that  is  not  my  problem. 

10.  After  a  probationary  period  of  one  year,  the  teachers  should  be 
placed  on  the  permanent  list  and  should  be  made  to  feel  that  they  could  be 
discharged  only  for  incompetency  or  improper  conduct.  This  recommenda- 
tion is  in  line  with  the  practices  of  the  best  schools  of  the  country. 

11.  Provision  should  be  made  for  leave  of  absence  for  study,  after 
which  a  teacher  should  not  lose  her  rank.  Furthermore,  provision  should 
be  made  for  promotion  of  such  teacher  when  she  demonstrates  that  she  has 
profited  by  her  leave,  in  developing  superior  teaching  skill. 


20 


SPIRIT,    METHODS    OF    TEACHING,    RELATIONS    OF    TEACHERS    AND 
OTHER    SCHOOL    OFFICERS,    RELATIONS    OF 
TEACHERS    AND    CHILDREN 

by 

C.  G.  Rathmann 

Assistant  Superintendent  of  Instruction,  St.  Louis 


I  spent  three  days  in  Alton  and  visited  five  schools.  I  had  several 
conferences  with  the  Superintendent  and  discussed  with  him  the  general 
school  situation. 

I  visited  each  room  in  the  five  schools  and  saw  work  in  each  grade  and 
each  subject.  I  made  my  visits  alone  on  the  first  day  and  was  accompanied 
by  the  grade  supervisor  on  my  next  two  visits.  After  hearing  a  lesson  I  had 
a  conference  with  the  teacher  to  get  a  better  understanding  of  her  lesson 
plan,  her  preparation  for  the  work,  of  what  she  wanted  to  accomplish,  of  her 
idea  of  the  importance  of  the  subject  she  had  presented  and  the  value  of  the 
method  pursued.  I  had  conferences  with  the  principals  of  the  buildings  and 
the  supervisors.  I  intended  to  study  the  annual  reports  of  the  Superintendent 
to  ascertain  what  progress  had  been  made  from  year  to  year,  but  was  in- 
formed that  no  report  had  been  issued  since  1901. 

I  became  very  favorably  impressed  with  the  personnel  of  the  teaching 
corps.  The  teachers  I  met  are  a  group  of  fine,  intelligent,  and  enthusiastic 
women,  earnest,  conscientious,  devoted  to  their  work,  deeply  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  their  charges  and  anxious  to  give  them  the  very  best  opportunities. 
Unfortunately,  as  Dr.  Payne,  who  reports  on  the  training  of  teachers,  sets 
forth,  they  have  not  had  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  modern  preparation 
and  training.     They  realize  this  fact  and  deplore  it. 

The  teachers  with  few  exceptions  have  been  educated  in  the  Alton 
schools.  After  graduating  from  the  High  School  they  go  into  the  schools  as 
cadets  and  observe  and  study  the  work  of  the  teachers  who  have  had  the 
same  training  which  they  have  received.  Some  of  them  take  summer  courses 
in  the  Shurtleff  College  of  Alton,  or  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  thus  add 
to  their  totally  inadequate  preparation. 

They  receive  little  guidance  or  inspiration  from  such  as  could  and 
should  give  it.  The  principal  is  in  charge  of  a  room  and  his  time  is,  with 
the  exception  of  two  hours  during  which  the  cadet  is  placed  in  his  room, 
taken  up  in  teaching.  The  two  hours  must  be  given  to  problems  of  admin- 
istration and  management  and  no  time  remains  for  the  supervision  of  the 
work  and  the  training  of  teachers. 

The  rules  of  the  Board  of  Education  prescribe  that  "monthly  meetings 
of  the  various  grade  teachers  shall  be  held  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  as 
to  the  best  methods  of  instruction  and  discipline."  As  I  learned,  such  meet- 
ings were  held  under  the  direction  of  the  Superintendent  up  to  a  year  ago, 
but  no  discussions  were  had.  Prominent  educators  were  invited  to  give 
lectures  on  educational  topics.  These  meetings  have  been  discontinued 
altogether.  The  reason  given  was  that  the  teachers  could  not  be  induced  to 
take  part  in  the  discussions. 

The  Superintendent  visits  all  the  schools  once  a  week.  Such  visit,  of 
course,  can  be  brief  only  and  gives  him  no  opportunity  to  help  and  guide 
the  teachers. 

Under  the  rules  of  the  Board  of  Education  the  teachers  may  on  two 
days  of  the  year  go  to  St.  Louis  or  other  cities  in  the  neighborhood  to  study 
the  work  in  the  schools  and  compare  it  with  their  own.  The  teachers,  as  1 
understand,  make  good  use  of  this  opportunity. 

Provisions  should  be  made  for  well  planned  extension  work  for  the 
teachers  after  school  hours. 

A  step  in  the  right  direction  was  the  appointment  of  a  supervisor  of 
grade  work  which  was  made  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  year.  The  new 
supervisor  gives  all  her  time  to  the  study  of  the  conditions  in  the  schools,  to 
careful  supervision,  and  to  guiding  and  training  the  teachers.  What  I  saw 
of  her  work  promises  gratifying  results. 

The  course  of  study  should  make  the  teachers  acquainted  with  the 
alms  of  their  work,  the  meaning  and  relative  importance  of  the  work  in  each 
subject  and  suggestions  as  to  best  ways  of  presenting  the  work.  No  such  help 
Is  given.  At  the  beginning  of  each  quarter  the  teachers  receive  a  typewritten 
slip  containing  the  number  of  pages  in  the  text  book  for  each  subject  which 
are  to  be  covered  during  the  quarter.  This  is  the  only  guidance  that  is  given 
the  teacher. 

21 


There  is  little  to  help  the  teacher  in  the  conduct  of  the  work  besides 
the  text  book.  There  are  maps,  but  not  in  sufficient  number.  There  Is  a 
totally  inadequate  supply  of  supplementary  reading  matter,  of  reference 
books,  of  material  for  constructive  work  or  for  seat  work  in  the  primary 
grades.  There  is  no  illustrative  material  save  what  the  teachers  who  do  not 
wish  to  depend  upon  the  text  book  altogether  encourage  the  pupils  to  bring. 

Except  in  the  higher  rooms,  there  are  too  many  classes  in  the  rooms 
and  the  classes  are,  in  many  cases,  too  large.  The  teachers  can  not  give 
individual  attention  to  those  that  need  it.  There  are  no  provisions  for  special 
care  of  mentally  defective  children.  Such  conditions,  of  course,  are  unavoid- 
able in  a  smaller  school  system. 

Twice  a  year,  classes  are  promoted.  The  promotions  are  determined 
by  examinations  and  the  standing  in  the  d'aily  recitations  in  the  ratio'  of 
one-third  for  the  former  and  two-thirds  for  the  latter.  If  a  child  has  done 
unsatisfactory  work,  he  remains  in  his  class  for  another  semester,  but  he 
must  be  promoted  at  the  close  of  the  next  half  year. 

Individual  promotions  are  rare.  Under  the  rules  they  can  not  be 
made  without  the  approval  of  the  Superintendent.  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
principal  and  the  teacher  who  know  the  child  and  what  he  can  do  should 
determine  individual  promotions. 

No  searching  tests  or  measurements  are  made  to  determine  whether 
the  work  as  conducted  is  productive  of  the  best  results. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  teachers  are  greatly  handicapped,  and,  in  view 
of  these  unfavorable  conditions,  one  might  infer  that  there  is  little  growth 
or  progress  and  that  the  work  throughout  the  schools  is  not  what  it  should 
be.  This,  however,  is  a  wrong  impression.  I  saw  superior  work  done  in  a 
number  of  rooms  by  teachers  who,  possessing  much  native  ability,  initiative 
and  resourcefulness,  and  the  desire  to  forge  ahead,  carried  out  their  own 
ideas  with  great  success.  If,  in  my  study  of  the  work  in  the  different  subjects, 
my  criticisms  seem  rather  severe  in  some  cases,  I  want  it  understood  that 
the  fault  is  not  with  the  teachers  as  much  as  with  the  unfavorable  conditions 
in  the  system.  If  the  teachers  in  the  Alton  schools  had  had  and  now  had  the 
advantages  and  opportunities  that  are  offered  in  other  school  systems,  they 
would  compare  very  favorably  with  any  group  of  teachers. 

Relations    Between    Teachers   and    Pupils — Discipline 

The  relations  between  pupils  and  teachers  are  cordial  and  based  upon 
mutual  respect  for  each  other.  The  teachers  have  the  good  will,  the  confi- 
dence, and  the  friendship  of  their  pupils.  This  was  quite  evident  in  their 
intercourse  before  and  after  school  and  during  the  recess  periods. 

In  all  the  class  rooms  I  visited  there  was  perfect  order  and  decorum, — 
rather  too  much  order  I  thought,  secured  at  the  expense  of  buoyancy,  deep, 
vivacious  interest,  and  live  desire  to  take  active  part  in  the  work.  The 
children  were  too  quiet,  the  hum  of  busy,  earnest  work  was  lacking.  I 
observed  a  number  of  children  who,  becoming  interested  in  the  work,  felt 
like  getting  out  of  their  seats  in  closer  touch  with  their  teacher,  but  they 
seemed  to  be  kept  back  by  the  feeling  that  they  would  be  "out  of  order." 
The  strict  discipline  had  a  depressing  effect  upon  spontaneity,  initiative, 
desire  to  go  more  deeply  into  the  work,  the  ready  and  hearty  co-operation 
with  the  teacher.  My  impression  was  that  the  question  of  order  was  over- 
emphasized. 

The  influence  of  the  teachers  on  the  moral  conduct  of  the  children 
seems  to  be  strong  and  for  good.  I  talked  to  many  children,  individuals  and 
in  groups,  and  all  were  pleasant  in  their  manner,  courteous,  and  showed 
ladylike  and  gentlemanly  conduct.  In  coming  to  and  leaving  the  school 
no  boisterous  or  unruly  behavior  was  seen. 

Language 

In  language  the  text  book  plays  a  very  prominent  part.  Fortunately 
technical  grammar  in  this  book,  Robinson  and  Roe,  is  not  considered  below 
the  seventh  grade, — the  text  for  the  middle  grades  is  devoted  to  the  study 
of  language. 

In  this  subject,  more  than  in  any  other,  the  text  book  should  be  in  the 
background,  but  the  teachers  whom  I  saw  use  the  material  in  the  book  for 
all  their  language  work.  Instead  of  taking  all  the  topics  for  compositions 
treated  here,  some  of  which  are  far-fetched  and  uninteresting  and  furnish 
no  motive,  narration  of  incidents  actually  experienced  by  the  children,  re- 
production  of   stories,    character   sketches,    explanations   of   conditions   and 

22 


events,  topics  taken  from  history,  geography,  and  nature  study,  should  be 
used  in  the  oral  and  written  compositions.  Instead  of  closely  adhering  to 
the  outlines  given  in  the  text  book  there  should  be  encouragement  of  freedom, 
naturalness  and  spontaneity. 

There  must  be  a  great  deal  more  opportunity  given  for  practice  in 
the  use  of  correct  English  than  is  done  in  the  Alton  schools.  In  the  lessons 
on  all  the  different  subjects  in  the  curriculum  the  pupils  must  do  more  of 
the  talking  and  the  teachers  less.  In  many  of  the  lessons  I  heard  the  work 
consisted  in  questions  asked  by  the  teacher  and  answers  given  by  the  pupils, 
and  the  answers  were  often  given  in  one  or  two  words.  Statements  in  whole 
sentences  should  at  least  be  insisted  upon.  The  teachers  should  encourage 
the  children  to  give  all  they  know  and  can  say  regarding  a  topic  under 
discussion  and  to  give  it  in  good  English  and  in  coherent  statements.  Dis- 
cussing what  is  presented  in  a  lesson  with  each  other  and  the  teacher  is  one 
of  the  best  exercises  in  learning  to  speak  correctly.  More  attention  should 
be  given  to  letter  writing. 

Systematic  and  persistent  efforts  should  be  made  by  the  teachers  to 
eradicate  common  errors  in  oral  language,  such  as  verb  and  adverb  errors, 
double  negatives,  misuse  of  pronouns,  mispronunciations,  colloquialisnis,  etc. 

Reading 

In  almost  all  of  the  rooms  I  visited  I  heard  fluent,  smooth  reading.  A 
good  foundation  for  the  mastery  of  the  mechanics  of  reading  is  laid  in  the 
lower  grades.  The  pupils  read  the  text  in  arithmetic,  geography  and  history 
readily, — there  was  no  halting  because  of  difficult  words,  except  in  one  or  two 
rooms.     The  same  was  true  as  to  the  reading  lessons. 

But  in  almost  all  cases  the  reading  was  too  rapid,  without  expression, 
and  gave  no  evidence  that  the  pupils  fully  understood  what  they  read.  In 
some  cases  it  seemed  a  mere  recitation  of  words. 

There  was  no  discussion  of  the  contents  of  the  lesson  preceding  the 
reading.  The  proper  pronunciation,  the  mastery  of  difficult  words,  v/as 
given  the  principal  attention.  A  number  of  questions  were  asked  after  a 
paragraph  had  been  read,  but  these  questions  were  not  such  as  to  make  the 
child  think.     The  answers  were  merely  reproductions  of  part  of  the  text. 

The  teacher  did  nothing  to  make  the  pupils  see  the  beauty  and  force 
of  the  author's  language,  his  ability  to  picture  to  the  reader  scenes  and  con- 
ditions and  to  describe  the  persons  in  the  story  with  all  their  characteristics 
so  that  he  can  see  them  before  him.  There  was  no  appeal  to  the  imagination. 
The  teachers  did  nothing  to  transport  the  children  into  the  situation  de- 
scribed in  the  lesson  and  to  make  them  live  the  events  about  which  they  read. 

The  trend  of  the  children's  thought  was  too  much  interrupted  by 
questions  on  the  pronunciation  of  the  words.  The  children  were  encouraged 
to  watch  each  other  and  to  report  at  the  close  of  a  paragraph  what  words 
had  not  been  read  correctly.  The  result  of  such  a  procedure  is  that  the 
pupils  will  give  all  their  attention  to  the  words,  and  the  real  purpose  of  the 
lesson  is  defeated. 

There  was  no  effort  on  the  part  of  any  teacher  to  socialize  the  work, 
i.  e.,  to  have  the  pupils  discuss  with  each  other  and  with  her  the  contents 
of  the  lesson.  The  children  read  to  the  teacher,  not  to  each  other.  It  would 
be  desirable  to  give,  from  time  to  time,  the  reader  an  audience  by  calling  him 
to  the  front  and  letting  him  read  to  the  other  members  of  the  class,  who' 
should  close  their  books.  The  reader  would  know  that  the  whole  class  has 
to  depend  upon  his  reading  for  the  proper  understanding  of  what  he  pre- 
sents and  that  therefore  he  must  give  his  best  efforts  to  the  work,  and  the 
pupils  in  the  class  will  know  that  they  must  give  their  entire  attention  to 
the  reader.  Such  exercises  would  be  productive  of  more  effective  reading 
and  more  effective  listening. 

In  no  room  did  I  see  any  dramatization  of  the  reading  lesson.  Drama- 
tization of  the  reading  lesson  lends  life  and  reality  to  it.  Representing  the 
"dramatis  personae,"  acting  the  events,  living  them,  as  it  were,  enables  the 
child  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  what  is  presented.  Doing  the  things  instead 
of  merely  reading  about  them,  develops  their  power  of  imagination  and 
expression  and  gives  them  self-confidence  and  genuine  pleasure  in  the  work. 

In  listening  to  the  reading  lessons  I  asked  myself  if  there  was  any 
evidence  that  the.  teacher  had  given  any  thought  to  the  lesson  before  she 
presented  it,  that  she  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  contents,  that  she 
fully  realized  the  opportunities  the  lesson,  if  properly  handled,  would  give 
her  pupils  to  become  better  readers  and  better  thinkers.  There  was  no  such 
evidence  in  most  cases. 

23 


In  one  room  I  visited  the  teacher  made  the  pupils  read  a  paragraph 
and  then  give  an  oral  reproduction  of  it  so  that,  as  she  said,  she  could 
ascertain  what  words  the  children  had  not  understood.  Reading  and  repro- 
ducing and  giving  the  meaning  of  difficult  words, — but  no  thought  getting. 
There  was  no  time  for  the  latter,  I  was  informed. 

Deplorable  is  the  dearth  of  supplementary  reading  matter.  Each  gra^ie 
is  entitled  to  only  one  set  of  supplementary  reading.  There  is  no  co-opera- 
tion with  the  public  library.  Upon  inquiry  in  several  rooms  I  found  that 
some  pupils  had  cards  and  were  using  books  of  the  library.  No  encourage- 
ment to  extend  this  use  is  made  by  the  schools. 

As  long  as  supplementary  reading  material  is  so  limited,  I  would 
suggest  that  the  pupils  be  encouraged  to  procure  books  from  the  library,  to 
read  chapters  to  the  class,  that  the  teacher  control  the  children's  reading  ami 
ascertain  from  time  to  time  what  the  children  are  reading  and  have  them 
give  an  abstract  of  the  book  read. 

Spelling 

In  spelling,  as  in  all  other  subjects,  the  text  book  is  the  principal  factor. 
All  wbrds  in  all  the  lessons  are  taught  and  learned  in  the  order  in  which  they 
appear.  The  words  which  are  not  now  in  the  child's  vocabulary,  nor  will  be 
for  some  time,  are  given  the  same  or  more  time  than  the  words  which  the 
child  ought  to  learn  at  the  present  time. 

In  the  primary  grades  the  words  are  taken  from  the  reading  lesson, 
are  well  selected  and,  as  I  saw  in  the  primary  rooms  I  visited,  well  taught. 

In  the  middle  and  higher  grades  a  number  of  words,  from  five  to  ten, 
are  assigned  to  the  pupils  for  study  in  preparation  for  the  spelling  lesson. 
These  words  are  studied  by  the  children  but  in  the  rooms  which  I  visited 
nothing  was  done  to  teach  the  pupils  how  to  study  the  words.  The  meaning 
of  the  words  to  be  learned  Is  found  by  the  pupils  in  the  dictionary,  but  no 
help  or  guidance  in  the  use  of  the  dictionary  is  given.  Only  in  one  room 
I  saw  the  words  of  the  lesson  used  in  sentences.  In  one  of  the  rooms  in  the 
higher  grades  the  words  were  read,  correctly  pronounced,  and  spelled.  They 
were  mostly  unfamiliar  words,  but  the  meaning  was  neither  given  nor 
found.  The  teacher  said  that  this  was  the  regular  daily  procedure,  that  she 
simply  required  the  children  to  learn  to  spell  the  words. 

More  attention  should  be  given   to  written  spelling. 

The  words  which  are  in  the  child's  present  vocabulary  or  in  that  of  the 
near  future  should  have  more  time  and  attention  than  the  unfamiliar  words. 
The  former  are  more  often  misspelled  than  the  latter.  "There  exist,"  as 
Dr.  Gregory  says,  "subconsciously  in  the  child's  mind  visual  percepts  of  the 
words  he  uses  and  used  before  he  came  to  school  which  are  his  translations 
of  his  aural  percepts,  but  these  visual  representations  are  often  entirely 
different  from  the  correct  forms.  These  wrong  impressions  must  be  extirpated 
before  the  correct  forms  can  be  learned.  Of  the  unfamiliar  words  he  gets 
the  correct  forms  at  once,  hence  they  are  more  easily  learned."  Teachers 
would  find  it  profitable  to  make  lists  of  words  frequently  misspelled  and 
make  these  lists  the  subject  of  special  spelling  lessons  as  often  as  seems 
desirable. 

Arithmetic 

In  the  middle  and  higher  grades  the  work  in  arithmetic  is  too  formal 
and  mechanical.  There  is  no  effort  to  bring  the  subject  into  close  touch 
with  the  actual  conditions  of  life.     The  text  book  is  followed  too  slavishly. 

A  new  subject  is  not  discussed  and  explained  on  the  blackboard  or  with 
concrete  examples  or.  making  use  of  the  child's  experience.  The  text  book  is 
opened  at  once  and  what  it  says  forms  the  basis  of  the  teacher's  presenta- 
tion. The  new  lesson  is  assigned  the  day  before  without  any  guidance  or 
help  on  the  part  of  the  teacher.  The  pupils  study  the  text  for  preparation. 
In  this  way  the  text  book,  not  the  teacher,  becomes  the  real  instructor. 

In  one  room  I  saw  good  thorough  oral  work  preceding  the  book  lesson. 
There  was  even  a  strong  effort  to  socialize  the  work.  Pupils  would  give  each 
other  oral  problems.     Great  interest  and  much  skill  were  shown. 

The  blackboard  is  used  extensively  everywhere.  I  was  glad  to  see  this. 
In  one  room  all  the  pupils  were  at  the  blackboard,  writing  the  solutions  of 
problems.  Tire  teacher  went  from  problem  to  problem  examining,  correcting 
and  marking,  speaking  to  the  individual  child  only.  Not  a  word  was  said  by 
the  pupils.  There  was  no  interest,  no  pleasure  in  the  work,  no  united  effort, 
no  co-operation.  There  was  a  lull  of  depression  and  I  thought  I  heard  a  sigh 
of  relief  when  the  recess  bell  rang. 

24 


There  is  no  oral  interpretation  of  the  problem.  The  child  reads  either 
aloud  or  for  himself  the  problem  and  then  begins  to  work.  The  teacher 
does  not  ascertain  before  the  problem  is  attacked  if  the  child  fully  under- 
stands what  he  has  read,  knows  what  he  is  to  find  or  how  to  find  it.  There 
should  be  no  stereotyped  form  of  analysis,  but  in  new  work  the  child  should 
receive  some  definite  training  in  interpreting  the  problem.  He  should  have 
a  clear  picture  of  the  conditions  of  the  problem  before  he  attempts  to  solve 
it.  This  training  should  begin  with  the  simplest  problems  in  the  second  grade, 
but  I  saw  no  evidence  of  it.  In  one  room  only  the  teacher  asked  a  pupil  to 
analyze  a  problem.  I  asked  why  no  more  of  this  was  done.  The  reply  of  tho 
teacher  was  that  the  pupils  forget  the  form  of  analysis  given  them  and  then 
she  has  "to  go  all  over  it  again." 

The  result  of  this  method  is  that  the  children  have  to  depend  too  much 
upon  the  teacher.  Entirely  too  much  help  is  given.  There  is  little  initiative, 
little  self  activity  on  the  part  of  the  children. 

The  teachers  should  emancipate  themselves  from  the  text  book.  There 
should  be  some  motivated,  socialized  work,  work  in  which  all  of  the  children 
could  take  part,  which  has  application  to  real  life. 

In  the  lower  grades  practical  work  consisting  in  weighing  and  measur- 
ing, buying  and  selling  real  things  with  paper  coin  might  well  constitute 
part  of  the  program.  Imaginary  marketing  trips  on  which  the  children  buy 
all  kinds  of  things  for  the  family  or  the  household,  involving  numbers  within 
their  grasp,  might  be  undertaken  to  advantage. 

In  the  middle  and  higher  grades  such  problems  as  finding  the  cost 
of  a  dinner,  a  trip,  computing  the  average  percent  of  the  tests  in  various 
subjects  and  their  percent  of  progress  in  each  test,  and  similar  problems, 
would  be  welcomed  by  the  pupils.  Finding  the  cost  of  furnishing  a  house, 
the  interest  on  money  borrowed  to  pay  for  part  of  the  equipment,  computing 
the  insurance  and  taxes  and  letting  the  children  secure  the  information  they 
need  in  the  stores  and  offices  where  it  can  be  had,  strongly  appeal  to  the 
child,  because  he  uoes  all  the  work  himself  under  the  guidance  of  the  teacher 
and  sees  the  practical  use  of  it. 

The  number  work  in  the  primary  grades,  of  counting,  combining  and 
measuring  and  solving  easy  problems,  is  done  fairly  well  despite  the  very 
limited  supply  of  objective  material. 

Geography 

Geography  begins  in  the  third  grade.  In  this  grade  it  is  Intended  to 
be  home  geography,  but  it  does  not  treat,  as  is  done  in  most  schools  at  the 
present  time,  the  life  and  activities  of  man  and  his  physical  environment  in 
and  around  his  home.  The  course  of  study  prescribes  the  following  syllabus: 
Madison  County, — boundary,  area,  townships,  railroads,  productions,  etc. 
Illinois, — boundary,  settlement,  chief  cities  and  railroads,  length,  breadth, 
rivers,  natural  productions,  pursuits  of  people,  etc.  Much  of  this  might  be 
presented  and  discussed  to  great  advantage,  but  unfortunately  the  boundaries, 
area,  rivers  and  chief  cities  receive  almost  all  the  attention.  For  the  study 
of  human  environment,  man  and  his  wants,  his  industrial  and  commercial 
pursuits,  shops,  factories  and  foundaries,  quarries,  houses  in  the  process  of 
construction  should  be  visited  and  the  actual  work  and  conditions  should  be 
observed.  Materials  for  food,  clothing  and  fuel  such  as  wheat,  corn,  cotton, 
wool,  silk,  coal,  iron,  etc.,  if  possible  in  different  stages  of  development,  should 
be  brought  into  the  school  room  and  placed  before  the  children.  For  the 
study  of  the  physical  environment  in  this  grade  the  children  should  be  taken 
outdoors  to  observe  roadbeds,  slopes,  hills,  brooks  and  ponds,  the  careful 
study  of  which  will  enable  the  pupils  to  picture  to  themselves  the  features 
of  land  and  water  on  the  earth.  Alton  offers  most  valuable  opportunities 
for  such  concrete  lessons.  The  children  should  be  brought  into  personal 
contact  with  their  human  and  physical  environment,  instead  of  merely 
hearing  or  reading  about  them. 

In  other  grades  I  found  in  two  rooms  more  ©mancipation  from  the 
text  book  than  in  other  subjects  and.  consequently,  better  teaching.  In  these 
rooms  I  observed  that  the  children  found  their  own  information  from  other 
texts,  from  books  on  travels,  industries  and  from  cyclopedias.  In  these  rooms 
the  pupils  discussed  with  each  other  the  facts  and  conditions,  made  their 
own  discoveries  and  drew  their  own  conclusions.  Pictures  and  clippings 
from  papers  were  brought  in  by  the  pupils.  I  found  great  interest  and  ready 
response. 

Still  better  work  could  be  done  if  the  teachers  were  given  what  they 
need  to  vitalize  the  work,  arouse  interest  and  create  vivid  and  permanent 

25 


impressions  of  what  is  taught.  There  are  not  enough  maps  so  that  the  teacher 
can  get  one  when  she  needs  it, — there  are  no  collateral  geographical  readers, — 
there  is  not  a  trace  of  illustrative  material. 

In  other  rooms  the  text  book  reigned  supreme.  The  children  learn 
little  beyond  the  facts  which  they  gather  from  it. 

In  the  first  part  of  the  fifth  grade  excursions  should  be  made  to  the 
river  bank,  to  the  bluffs,  the  hills  and  slopes  surrounding  Alton  because  the 
study  of  the  geography  in  the  higher  grades  requires  some  knowledge  of 
physiographic  influences.  The  lessons  in  the  remaining  part  of  the  fifth, 
and  the  sixth  and  seventh  grades  geography  should  be  a  social  study,  a 
discussion  of  man's  response  to  his  envii'onment  and  his  influence  upon  and 
control  of  it,  the  inter-dependence  of  man's  various  activities  upon  each  other, 
his  occupations,  his  industrial,  commercial  and  cultural  pursuits. 

There  should  be  much  less  than  I  found  of  purely  statistical  informa- 
tion, of  the  memorizing  of  boundaries,  area,  number  of  inhabitants,  length 
of  rivers,  height  of  mountains,  and  more  of  the  study  of  "Man  as  the  creator 
as  well  as  the  creature  of  his  world."  There  should  be  far  less  memory  work 
and  more  solving  of  geographical  problems  suggested  by  the  topics  and  their 
discussion. 

History 

History  is  taught  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  only.  There  is  no 
preliminary  training  in  the  lower  grades  for  the  better  understanding  of  the 
subject  through  supplementary  reading. 

In  two  rooms  in  which  I  saw  work  in  history  I  was  pleased  to  note 
that  the  text  book  was  not  the  sole  medium  between  teacher  and  pupil. 
Other  texts  and  reference  books  were  accessible,  and  the  pupils  were  encour- 
aged to  find  additional  information  and  more  light  on  the  topics  under 
discussion.  As  a  result,  the  children  took  a  more  active  part  in  the  work, 
did  their  own  comparing  and  thinking,  secured  broader  views  and  a  better 
understanding  of  the  conditions  and  events  and  their  relations  and  showed 
great  interest  and  desire  to  learn. 

In  one  room  the  teacher  had  just  begun  to  socialize  the  work.  A  topic 
had  been  presented  by  a  pupil  and  his  classmates  entered  into  an  animated 
discussion  of  it,  asking  him  such  questions  as  would  make  the  subject  more 
intelligible  while  4;he  teacher  gave  such  help  as  was  needed  and  kept  the  dis- 
cussion in  the  proper  channels. 

In  another  room  the  old  method  of  reciting  the  text  and  answering  the 
teacher's   questions   prevailed. 

More  of  the  work  in  history  and  geography  should  be  in  the  hands 
of  the  pupils.  They  should  do  their  own  thinking  and  discovering  under 
the  guidance  of  the  teacher.  They  should  secure  from  otuer  historical  texts, 
from  reference  books  in  the  school  and  from  books  taken  from  the  public 
library  their  own  information  in  addition  to  what  the  prescribed  text  book 
offers.  They  should  discuss  with  the  teacher  and  each  other  conditions  and 
events,  causes  and  effects.  Giving  the  children  the  initiative,  the  teachei 
should  step  more  and  more  into  the  background,  should  guide,  direct,  and 
inspire.  Lessons  in  history  and  geography  conducted  in  this  way  are  also 
excellent  language  lessons.  They  give  the-  children  valuable  practice  in 
expressing  their  views  before  others  and  the  ability,  no  less  valuable,  to  find 
their  own  knowledge  after  they  have  left  school. 

Nature  Study 

Nature  study  has  no  place  in  the  curriculum  of  the  Alton  schools.  The 
principals  and  teachers  say  that  this  subject  is  to  be  taught  incidentally,  in 
connection  with  the  other  subjects.  There  was  no  evidence,  however,  that 
the  opportunities  offered  by  the  school  life  and  the  school  activities  for 
awakening  in  the  child  a  sympathetic  interest  in  nature  around  him  were 
used. 

The  surroundings  of  every  schoolhouse  I  visited  offer  excellent  oppor- 
tunities for  practical  nature  study.  It  is  to  be  deplored  that  no  use  is  made 
of  them. 

Ethics 

Ethics,  like  nature  study,  is  not  provided  for  in  the  school  curriculum. 
It  is  not  totally  neglected,  however,  in  that  one  feature  of  it,  the  Humane 
Treatment  of  Dumb  Animals,  has  a  place  on  the  weekly  program.  Thirty 
minutes  per  week  for  every  grade  for  this  subject  are  required  by  the  state 
school  law.     The  Alton  schools  give  ten  minutes  daily  to  it,  in  most  cases 

26 


just  before  the  close  of  the  morning  session.  There  is  no  evidence  that, 
under  this  arrangement,  the  Humane  Treatment  of  Dumb  Animals  receives 
the  attention  which  the  State  Board  expects.  The  teachers  do  not  look  with 
favor  upon  this  law  and  think  that  other  features  of  moral  teaching  should 
have  some  of  the  time  assigned  to  this  subject. 

Departmental   Teaching 

Departmental  teaching  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  is  done  in  two 
of  the  Alton  schools.  I  visited  one  of  these  schools  and  found  the  depart- 
mental work  well  planned  and,  on  the  whole,  productive  of  good  results. 
The  teachers  instruct  in  the  subjects  in  which  they  are  specially  interested 
and  for  the  teaching  of  which  they  are  best  fitted.  Being  relieved  of  the 
exacting  requirements  necessary  to  teach  well  the  many  subjects  in  their 
advanced  complexities  as  found  in  the  higher  grades  and  confining  their 
efforts  to  a  limited  number  of  branches  of  the  curriculum  for  which  they 
are  more  gifted  and  better  prepared,  they  do  more  efficient  work.  I  saw  better 
teaching  and  better  results  here  than  in  the  schools  in  which  the  single 
teacher  plan  is  followed. 

Summary  of  Recommendations 

1.  Better  training  of  teachers.  Diploma  from  any  State  Normal  School 
should  be  required  from  new  applicants. 

2.  Provisions  for  extension  courses  for  teachers  in  the  Alton  Schools. 

3.  Principals  should  have  more  time  for   supervision. 

4.  A  more  complete  and  modern  course  of  study  should  be  prepared  and 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  teachers. 

5.  A  special  school  and  a  few  ungraded  rooms  should  be  opened  for 
feebleminded  and  backward  children. 

6.  There  should  be  more  outdoor  and  excursion  work  to  vitalize  the 
work  in  geography  and  nature  study.  The  latter  subject  should  be  given  a 
place  in  the  curriculum. 

7.  More  teaching  material,  as  up-to-date  maps,  supplementary  reading, 
reference  books,  material  for  constructive  and  seat  work. 

8.  Efficient  co-operation  with  the  Public  Library. 

9.  There  should  be  from  time  to  time  tests  and  measurements  of  the 
results  of  instruction  to  determine  the  efficiency  of  the  teaching  process  and  to 
establish  higher  standards  of  work. 

10.  There  should  be  regular  meetings  of  principals  and  teachers  with 
the  Superintendent  and  Grade  Supervisor  for  the  discussion  of  the  aim  and 
scope  of  education  in  modern  life,  of  the  determination  of  the  place  and  the 
function  of  the  public  school  in  realizing  this  aim,  of  the  ways  in  which  the 
public  school  should  co-operate  with  other  educational  agencies,  of  methods 
of  instruction  and  management. 

11.  More  vigorous,  stimulating  and  helpful  leadership  in  all  school 
departments. 

12.  The  teachers  should  be  selected  by  the  Superintendent.  His  nomi- 
nations should  be  submitted  to  the  Board  of  Education  for  its  approval. 

13.  The  Superintendent  should  publish  an  annual  report  to  make  the 
people  of  Alton  acquainted  with  the  methods  of  educational  administration, 
the  progress  made  in  the  schools,  the  needs  of  the  schools,  the  problems  un- 
solved, etc. 


27 


COURSE  OF  STUDY  AND  SCHOOL  SUPPLIES 

by 

T.  E.  Spencer 
Principal,  Irving  School,  St.  Louis 


The  following  report  is  based  upon  observations  made  and  information 
received  during  a  three  days'  visit  in  the  public  schools  of  Alton,  Illinois, 
with  purpose  to  learn  of  the  courses  of  study,  the  pedagogical  conceptions 
which  teachers  hold  regarding  their  educational  aims  and  uses,  and  of  the 
methods  of  their  elucidation  in  their  school  rooms.  Inquiry  was  to  be  made, 
also,  into  the  school  supplies,  their  kinds  and  quantities,  and  the  manner  ot 
handling  them. 

No  printed  reports  or  other  matter  relating  to  the  schools  were  avail- 
able, or  seem  to  have  been  furnished  the  public  by  the  Superintendent  or  the 
Board  of  Education  except  a  few  blank  forms  for  administrative  matters  and 
the  "Outline  of  Studies"  pursued  in  the  high  school.  "  The  Surveyor  endeav- 
ored to  learn  in  what  manner  the  courses  of  study  were  interpreted  in 
instruction,  and  to  discover  what  pedagogical  conceptions  regarding  these 
studies  and  their  uses  in  children's  education  were  entertained  by  the 
teachers.  For  this  purpose  he  visited  the  following  schools:  The  Garfield, 
the  Irving,  the  Lincoln,  and  the  High  School.  He  also  visited  the  Alton 
Board  of  Trade  and  conversed  with  the  Secretary  of  that  Board,  from  whom 
he  learned  the  story  of  the  growth  and  development  of  the  Alton  industrial 
district  and  secured  a  statement  showing  the  number  and  kind  of  industriea 
in  which  the  people  are  engaged,  the  number  employed  in  each,  and  the 
wages  paid  for  labor  by  each  industry.  As  a  result  of  the  foregoing  study 
the  Surveyor  reached  the  conclusions  which  are  herewith  submitted. 

It  has  been  said  that  "one  of  the  quickest  means  for  determining  the 
ideals  and  purposes  which  actuate  a  school  system  is  to  examine  the  courses 
of  study  prescribed  for  the  schools.  From  such  an  examination  the  real 
character  of  the  ideals  of  the  administration  as  to  the  purposes  of  education 
can  quickly  be  told.  Not  only  may  one  tell  how  the  courses  have  been 
constructed,  but  also  what  pedagogical  conceptions  underlie  the  work." 

Investigation  of  courses  of  study  the  country  over  has  shown  that  they 
may  be  grouped  into  two  general  classes  or  types,  namely  (1)  information 
types,   (2)   development  types. 

(1)  The  information  types  of  courses  are  based  upon  the  conception 
that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  public  school  to  transmit  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion the  accumulated  knowledge  of  the  past,  that  valuable  mental  discipline 
is  acquired  by  the  mere  process  of  acquiring  and  uttering  this  knowledge. 
In  schools  operating  under  such  conceptions,  facts  are  taught  and  learned. 
Overemphasis  is  placed  upon  studies  which  serve  as  tools  of  knowledge,  and 
often  much  time  is  spent  upon  learning  certain  facts  because  of  a  supposed 
use  for  them  after  the  child  has  grown  up. 

(2)  The  development  types  of  courses  of  study  are  based  upon  very 
different  pedagogical  conceptions.  Such  courses  cannot  be  laid  out  in  definite 
pages  of  prescribed  text  books.  Facts  here  are  of  small  importance  until 
they  have  been  put  to  use.  Knowledge  is  a  tool,  and  not  an  end  in  itself. 
Such  courses  of  study  are  not  fixed  or  final.  They  vary  from  month  to 
month,  because  the  real  problems  In  such  courses  are  the  im2)ils  and  not  the 
subject-matter  of  instruction.  Hence  it  becomes  the  business  of  all  teachers 
and  supervisors  of  such  courses  to  study  the  problems  of  instruction  with  a 
view  to  adapting  school  work  to  the  growing  needs  of  the  children.  Such 
courses  have  reference  to  life,  the  present  lives  of  the  children  and  of  the 
community  of  which  they  are  a  part,  and  of  the  future  lives  and  needs  of 
both.  Such  courses  induce  an  open-minded  attitude  toward  new  methods  and 
ideals  of  education.  Such  courses  require  skillful  teaching,  but  they  tend  to 
create  skillful  teachers. 

Information  acquired  from  the  three  days'  study  of  the  Alton  schools 
leaves  no  doubt  that  they  belong  to  the  first  mentioned  types  of  schools — to 
the  information  type,  with  rigid  courses  of  study,  laid  out  by  pages  in  text 
books,  and  drilled  upon  for  memorization  of  facts  as  a  desired  end  in  them- 
selves. 

To  illustrate,  let  us  take  the  subject  of  reading.  The  first  year's  assign- 
ment calls  for  the  Ward  Primer  as  a  text  book,  followed  by  "Supplementary 
readings  from  Appleton's  First  Reader,  Brooks'  First  Reader  and  Fairy 
Stories."     The   objects   are   specified   thus,    "To   recognize   the   written   and 

28 


printed  forms  of  the  words  found  in  the  child's  spoken  vocabulary,  to  write 
single  words  and  combine  them  into  easy  sentences,  to  separate  words  into 
their  elementary  sounds,  and  to  combine  sounds  into  words." 

For  the  second  grade  the  course  assigns  "Brooks'  Second  Reader  com- 
pleted, Supplementary  Readings  from  Appleton's  Second  Reader,  and  Baker 
and  Carpenter's  Second  Reader,  and  sight  reading  of  interesting  stories." 

The  third  grade  work  is  comprehended  under  "Brooks'  Third  Reader 
completed.  Supplementary  Reading  of  Appleton's  Third  Reader,  Heath's  Third 
Reader,  Interesting  and  Instructive  Stories  for  Sight  Reading." 

The  work  prescribed  for  the  fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  seventh,  and  eighth 
grades  is  set  forth  in  terms  of  text  books  similar  to  that  specified  for  the 
previous  grades.  There  is  no  presentation  of  aims  to  be  sought,  nor  of 
methods  to  be  employed. 

The  spelling  work  is  more  briefly  indicated  as  "Outlined  in  Ward 
Primer,"  for  first  year,  "All  words  found  at  the  beginning  of  reading  lessons, 
and  in  the  back  part  of  Brook's  Second  Reader,"  and  similar  brevity  for  each 
of  the  successive  years'  work. 

Turning  to  the  course  in  arithmetic  we  find,  for  instance,  the  third 
year's  work  indicated  as  "Times  tables  of  6's,  7's,  8's,  9's,  lO's,  ll's  and  12's. 
Rapid  work  in  addition,  subtraction,  multiplication  and  division,  multiplier 
and  divisor  to  consist  of  not  more  than  three  figures.  First  half  of  Smith's 
Primary  Arithmetic."  Even  more  brief  directions  suffice  for  later  grades, 
as,  for  example,  "Last  part  Smith  Intermediate  and  first  part  Smith  Ad- 
vanced," for  seventh  grade. 

No  mention  is  made  of  language  work  during  the  first  three  years  of 
the  course,  but  under  the  fourth  year's  assignment  we  find  "Language:  first 
third  of  Robbins  and  Row,  Book  One."  The  assignments  for  each  of  the 
grades  following  are  given  in  similar  terms  of  portions  of  designated  text 
books. 

The  specifications  for  the  study  of  geography  and  history  have  the 
same  rigid  limitations  prescribed  within  the  text  books,  with  no  apparent 
hint  of  purpose  nor  method,  nor  selections  of  types  for  emphasis,  nor  of  per- 
mission to  vary  the  text  to  apply  to  local  environment  of  the  pupils.  Indeed, 
it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  seventh  year's  work  in  geography  deals  with  Asia, 
Africa  and  Australasia,  while  the  history  for  that  year  deals  with  the  Colonial 
period.  There  would  seem  to  be  no  history  in  the  geography  lesson,  and  no 
geography  in  the  history  lesson,  although  these  two  social  studies  ought  to 
be  very  closely  inter-related,  and  especially  so  at  that  period  of  the  child's 
development. 

The  course  for  physical  training  is  vaguely  defined  as  "One  hour  each 
week,"  and  the  courses  in  drawing  and  vocal  music  are  to  be  given  "Under 
direction  of  the  Supervisor." 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  the  Alton  Courses  of  Study  belong  to  what 
has  been  called  the  "information  type."  The  knowledge  theory  controls  all 
within  the  system.  The  courses  are,  in  the  main,  laid  out  carefully  by  pages 
in  books,  set  off  into  small  segments  for  each  month  or  part  of  a  term. 
Large  dependence  is  placed  upon  the  text  books,  which  are  evidently  pre- 
sented to  children  as  comprehending  all  one  need  know  about  the  subjects 
of  which  they  treat,  since  little  or  no  collateral  or  supplemental  material  is 
supplied.  The  text  books  used  are  not  modern,  do  not  represent  the  best 
educational  theory  or  practice  in  the  subjects  of  which  they  treat.  There 
seems  to  be  little  real  effort  made  tO'  relate  the  courses  of  study  to  the  lives 
and  needs  of  the  children,  and  no  appreciation  of  the  duty  of  the  public 
school  to  contribute  in  vital  ways  to  the  community  life  of  which  it  should  be 
a  part. 

Teachers  who  teach  such  courses  of  study  have  no  responsibility  for 
the  content  of  the  courses,  nor  for  the  educational  results.  They  go  about 
their  daily  tasks  with  little  regard  for  the  educational  significance  of  what 
they  do,  provided  only  their  pupils  learn  the  facts  prescribed  for  their  par- 
ticular segment  of  the  course  and  retain  those  facts  in  memory  until  after 
the  stated  tests  are  made.  Principals  keep  order  and  keep  records,  and  have 
little  further  responsibility.  The  supervision  of  such  a  system  is  merely 
inspection.  Here  and  there,  in  a  very  few  school  rooms,  may  be  found  teach- 
ers whose  grasp  of  the  subjects  taught  seems  much  more  comprehensive  than 
the  narrow  limitations  of  the  courses  prescribed  for  their  grades.  Their 
merits  are  conspicuous  by  comparison,  but  their  excellence  is  not  due  to  the 
Influences  of  the  system  in  which  they  are  working. 

It  is  held  to  be  true  that  in  the  United  States  the  public  school  is 
charged  with  the  duty  of  defining  its  own  scope  as  an  educative  agency,  and 
of  determining  the  proper  relation   of  other  educative  agencies  to  it.     To 

29 


discharge  this  duty  it  should  endeavor  to  know  the  needs  of  its  community 
and  strive  to  contribute  in  a  vital  way  to  the  activities  of  its  own  community 
life.  The  course  of  study  pursued  in  any  given  public  school  should  be  not 
only  suited  in  a  general  way  to  the  nature  and  capacity  of  children,  but 
also  should  have  regard  for  the  individual  differences  of  children,  and  should 
take  into  account  their  environmental  conditions.  The  industries  of  the 
community  of  which,  directly  or  indirectly,  the  majority  of  the  children  will 
later  become  a  part,  should  not  be  lost  sight  of  in  shaping  the  fundamental 
courses  of  study  suited  to  the  public  schools  of  that  community. 

The  statement  given  the  Surveyor  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  shows  that  Alton  has  lately  become  a  thriving  industrial  center  and 
that  it  seems  sure  to  become  of  still  greater  importance  commercially  and' 
industrially.  Marked  changes  have  been  made  in  the  lives  of  the  Alton 
people  during  the  past  five  or  ten  years,  yet  the  courses  of  study  in  the 
schools  have  remained  practically  unaltered.  Neither  elementary  nor  high 
school  courses,  nor  methods,  nor  ideals  have  been  changed  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  changed  community. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  the  Surveyor  that  the  Alton  schools  are  in  urgent 
need  of  new  courses  of  study.  The  courses  should  be  constructed  with  the 
growing  child  as  the  center  of  interest,  and  his  environment  a  means  of  his 
education.  The  school  exercises  should  result  in  awakening  the  concrete  and 
constructive  intelligence  of  the  pupils.  In  shaping  the  new  courses  of  study, 
teachers  should  seek  to  break  away  from  the  tedium  and  artificiality  so 
characteristic  of  the  old  school  atmosphere.  The  ideal  should  be  schools 
characterized  by  freedom,  expressive  life,  contact  with  real  things,  broad 
communal  and  personal  activities, — schools  where  full  opportunity  for  ex- 
pression may  be  provided  for  each  child,  up  to  the  limit  of  his  capacity,  in  a 
varied  life  of  study  and  work  and  play. 

School  Supplies 

With  respect  to  accounting  to  the  public  for  expenditures  made  in 
purchasing  school  supplies,  the  administration  of  the  Alton  schools  leaves 
much  to  be  desired.  The  Surveyor  endeavored  to  secure  information  as  to 
what  educational  supplies  are  furnished  for  use  in  the  schools,  their  kinds, 
quality  and  distribution,  and  the  uses  made  of  them  in  the  instruction  of  the 
children.  It  was  found  that  no  inventories  of  educational  supplies  on  hand 
were  obtainable.  No  such  inventories  have  been  required  by  the  Board 
or  have  been  kept  by  the  Superintendent.  Consequently,  no  one  seems  to  know 
what  supplies  are  in  the  schools,  what  they  have  cost,  or  in  what  condition 
they  may  be  found.  The  Superintendent  receives  from  the  manual  training 
teacher,  the  chemistry  teacher,  the  physics  teacher  and  the  teacher  of 
commercial  branches  each  year  reports  of  what  supplies  each  of  these  will 
require  for  the  coming  year.  He  passes  these  requisitions  on  to  the  com- 
mittee on  "Library  and  Apparatus"  who  report  the  matter  to  the  Board  of 
Education.  After  the  purchases  of  such  educational  supplies  have  been 
authorized  and  the  purchases  have  been  made,  no  systematic  accounting  for 
them  is  required.  No  inventory  is  kept,  no  reports  concerning  their  use 
or  care  are  expected  of  any  one.  From  the  Superintendent  Information  was 
obtained  that  from  if200  to  .$300  had  been  spent  annually  for  supplementary 
reading  matter  for  use  in  the  schools.  He  was,  however,  unable  to  state 
what  books  had  been  bought  or  how  many,  how  these  books  had  been 
distributed  in  the  schools,  or  what  books  still  remained  in  use  in  the  schools. 
It  therefore  seems  very  clear  that  decided  improvement  in  the  system  of 
accounting  for  the  purchase,  use,  and  care  of  educational  supplies  furnished 
the  Alton  schools  should  be  made  without  delay.  The  principal  of  each 
school  should  be  required  to  report  definitely  what  supplies  and  apparatus 
are  now  in  his  school,  in  what  condition  they  may  be  found,  and  how  useful 
they  have  proved  to  be  in  the  work  of  instruction.  He  should  supplement  his 
report  by  recommendation  for  additions  to  the  stock  on  hand  or  for  the 
withdrawal  from  use  of  any  supplies  found  to  be  worn  out  or  undesirable  for 
use.  The  Superintendent  should  submit  such  information  regularly,  at  stated 
intervals,  to  the  Board  of  Education  for  their  information.  The  Board,  in 
turn,  should  publish  such  information  that  the  public  may  be  informed  of 
the  conduct  of  school  matters  in  this  respect. 


30 


TESTING    OF    THE    RESULTS    OF    TEACHING    IN    THE    ELEMENTARY 

SCHOOLS 

by 

L.  W.  Rader 

Principal,  Columbia  School,   St.   Louis 


Arithmetic 


Ability  in  arithmetic  Implies  the  capacity  to  analyze  concrete  problems 
and  to  perform  the  required  operations.  The  following  tests  were  given  to 
measure  capacity  for  reasoning  and  facility  in  the  four  fundamental  opera- 
tions. 

For  measuring  ability  in  the  four  fundamental  operations,  the  Courtis 
Tests,  Series  B,  were  used,  and  for  measuring  capacity  for  reasoning  the 
Courtis  Test  No.  8,  Series  A,  was  used. 

The  numbers  at  the  left  of  the  figures  indicate  the  number  of  problems 
the  pupils  should  work  correctly  in  the  time  specified.  The  numbers  at 
the  bottom  of  the  figures  indicate  the  grade. 

The  tests  were  given  to  the  class  in  each  grade  three  weeks  before 
passing  into  the  higher  grade.  Six  hundred  six  pupils  representing  each 
school  took  the  tests. 

Courtis   Standard    Research   Tests — Series    B 

Addition 

You  will  be  given  eight  minutes  to  find  the  answers  to  as  many  of  these 
addition  examples  as  possible.  Write  the  answers  on  this  paper  directly 
underneath  the  examples.  You  are  not  expected  to  be  able  to  do  them  all. 
You  will  be  marked  for  both  speed  and  accuracy,  but  it  is  more  important  to 
have  your  answers  right  than  to  try  a  great  many  examples. 


939 

392 

757 

939 

389 

482 

779 

809 

274 

287 

594 

376 

975 

857 

554 

667 

475 

935 

138 

567 

682 

449 

323 

372 

867 

849 

'  666 

631 

448 

604 

997 

735 

354 

726 

683 

327 

361 

773 

468 

531 

492 

614 

575 

988 

596 

598 

821 

198 

366 

248 

157 

459 

653 

326 

156 

832 

939 

192 

505 

726 

437 

432 

664 

901 

729 

407 

199 

412 

164 

557 

179 

427 

423 

172 

485 

785 

682 

701 

666 

751 

568 

713 

309 

■437 

240 

978 

772 

985 

232 

675 

255 

582 

878 

550 

328 

874 

107 

358 

887 

646 

395 

427 

640 

797 

895 

229 

445 

370 

628 

944 

304 

516 

343 

994 

617 

889 

534 

889 

533 

962 

189 

867 

496 

323 

262 

695 

987 

408 

614 

456 

964 

908 

705 

348 

861 

293 

476 

439 

428 

324 

227 

676 

468 

229 

799 

597 

305 

935 

846 

250 

355 

246 

305 

373 

294 

253 

359 

307 

402 

777 

583 

588 

562 

417 

600 

472 

949 

480 

687 

272 

775 

291 

878 

541 

695 

939 

871 

743 

859 

746 

483 

797 

596 

622 

446 

656 

632 

802 

791 

664 

855 

741 

924 

629 

967 

984 

868 

936 

933 

818 

155 

967 

338 

698 

133 

828 

287 

794 

133 

163 

488 

339 

725 

157 

476 

185 

31 


Courtis  Tests.     8eries  B.     Addition 


8 

Courtis 
Standards  6,5 


/ 

f 

/ 

"^~^-^  — 

// 

// 

W 

Grades 


8 


Flg^ure  1  ■ 

Courtis  Standarxi. 
Alton  Average. 


Courtis   Standard    Research   Tests — Series   B 

Subtraction. 

You  will  be  given  four  minutes  to  find  the  answers  to  as  many  of  these 
subtraction  examples  as  possible.  Write  the  answers  on  this  paper  directly 
underneath  the  exaniiples.  You  are  not  expected  to  be  able  to  do  them  all. 
You  will  be  marked  for  both  speed  and  accuracy,  but  it  is  more  important  to 
have  your  answers  right  than  to  try  a  great  many  examples. 


159707419 
70176993 


84527908 
67493046 


45090059 
39910561 


87839939 
71262307 


120266060 
78683031 


88337503 
48870252 


136191168     71023212    164171264     86330769     55241907    140368140 
95532365     43951074     96128105     71368394     38702469     59405436 


86292734 
38391581 


163782191 
96279042 


152306500 
85166218 


177290256 
96030303 


120919926 
72072620 


101044843 
83749538 


102603616 
56211509 


146188200 
64983347 


123853866 
85637071 


194538545 
99522471 


128088241 
88416406 


86654802 
16830497 


32 


Subtraction. 


Grades  4 


8 


Figure  2, 


Courtis  Standard. 


-_  Alton  Average. 


Courtis  standard   Research  Tests — Series   B 
Multiplication 

You  will  be  given  six  minutes  to  work  as  many  of  these  multiplication 
examples  as  possible.  You  are  not  expected  to  be  able  to  do  them  all.  Do 
your  work  directly  on  this  paper;  use  no  other.  You  will  be  marked  for  both 
speed  and  accuracy,  but  it  is  more  important  to  have  your  answers  right  than 
to  try  a  great  many  examples. 


8654 

7329 

3297 

5684 

9237 

4568 

2972 

63 

27 

36 

85 

49 

72 

580 

6584 

9542 

7638 

9245 

5492 

6783 

8673 

94 

206 

95 

59 

48 

62 

73 

8763 

4685 

2937 

5924 

7239 

8645 

5648 

84 

65 

208 

37 

470 

93 

74 

3972 

8456 

3279 

9452 

39 

82 

56 

19 

33 


Multinlication 


8 


6.5 


5.5 


1.5 
Grades  4 


• 

/__ 

y 

// 
// 

• 

y 

/  / 

f 

y 

y        / 

f 

• 

5 


Figure  3 


Courtis  Standard. 


-<_  ^.  ..— .  Alton  Average 


3 


Courtis  Standard   Research   Tests — Series   B 

Division 

You  will  be  given  eight  minutes  to  work  as  many  of  these  division 
examples  as  possible.  You  are  not  expected  to  be  able  to  do  them  all.  Do 
your  work  directly  on  this  paper;  use  no  other.  You  will  be  marked  for  both 
speed  and  accuracy,  but  it  is  more  important  to  have  your  answers  right 
than  to  try  a  great  many  examples. 


27)7857 


64)51392     35)10150     98)81438     72)36432 


46)34086 


53)39220     89)49929     29)13369     74)22866     38)11058     65)29900 


92)69000     47)35297     83)66649     56)46536     37)21497     56)22792 


29)16820    84)39564    64)35840     73)70153     25)5225     98)46158 


34 


Division 


Grades 


8 


Figure   4 


Courtis  Standard 

Alton  Average 


Reasoning — Series   A — Test  8 

You  will  be  given  twelve  minutes  to  find  the  answers  to  as  many  of 
these  problems  as  possible.  Write  the  answers  on  this  paper  directly  after 
the  problems.  You  are  not  expected  to  be  able  to  do  them  all.  You  will  be 
marked  for  both  speed  and  accuracy,  but  it  is  more  important  to  have  your 
answers  right  than  to  try  a  great  many  problems. 

1.  The  children  in  a  certain  school  gave  a  Christmas  party.  One  of  the 
presents  was  a  box  of  candy.  In  filling  the  boxes,  one  grade  used  16  pounds 
of  candy,  another  17  pounds,  a  third  12  pounds,  and  a  fourth  13  pounds. 
What  did  the  candy  cost  at  26  cents  a  pound? 

2.  A  school  in  a  certain  city  used  2516  pieces  of  chalk  in  37  school 
days.  Three  new  rooms  were  opened,  each  room  holding  50  children,  and 
the  school  was  then  found  to  use  84  sticks  of  chalk  per  day.  How  many  more 
sticks  of  chalk  were  used  per  day  than  at  first? 

3.  Several  boys  went  on  a  bicycle  trip  of  1500  miles.  The  first  week 
they  rode  374  miles,  the  second  week  264  miles,  the  third  423  miles,  the 
fourth  401  miles.  They  finished  the  trip  the  next  week.  How  many  miles  did 
they  ride  the  last  week? 

4.  Forty-five  boys  were  hired  to  pick  apples  from  15  trees  in  an  apple 
orchard.  In  50  minutes  each  boy  had  picked  48  choice  apples.  If  all  the 
apples  picked  were  packed  away  carefully  in  8  boxes  of  equal  size,  how  many 
apples  were  put  in  each  box? 

5.  In  a  certain  school  216  children  gave  a  sleigh  ride  party.  They 
rented  7  sleighs  at  a  cost  of  $30.00  and  paid  $24.00  tor  the  refreshments.    The 


35 


party  traveled  15  miles  in  2l^  hours  and  had  a  very  pleasant  time, 
was  each  child's  share  of  the  expense? 


What 


6.  A  girl  found,  by  careful  counting,  that  there  w^ere  2400  letters  on 
one  page  of  her  history,  and  2295  on  a  page  of  her  reader.  How  many  more 
letters  had  she  read  in  one  book  than  in  the  other  if  she  had  read  47  pages  in 
each  of  the  books? 

7.  Each  of  59  rooms  in  the  schools  of  a  certain  city  contributed  25 
presents  to  a  Christmas  entertainment  for  the  poor  children.  The  stores  of 
the  city  gave  1986  other  articles  for  presents.  What  was  the  total  number  of 
presents  given  away  at  the  entertainment? 

8.  Forty-eight  children  from  a  certain  school  paid  10  cents  a  piece  to 
ride  7  miles  on  the  cars  to  a  woods.  There  in  a  few  hours  they  gathered  2765 
nuts.  605  of  these  were  bad,  but  the  rest  were  shared  equally  among  the 
children.    How  many  good  nuts  did  each  one  get? 

Reasoning 


3.4 


2.8 


2.2 


1.7 


Grades     4 


8 


Figure   5 . 


Courtis   Standard 


«»_  —  — .  -_ Alton  Average. 


36 


TABLE  I. 


School 


Grade 


Add. 


Sub. 


Mul.         Dlv.     Reasoning 


Garfield 


IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


2.4 
7.3 
5.5 


1.7 
6.2 
4.7 


2.5 
8.4 


2.1 

.8 

6.8 

3.6 

5.3 

3.8 

Gillham 


IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


4 

5 

3.5 

3. 

1 

2.6 

7.8 

3.5 

2.7 

1 

8.7 

10 

4.9 

6. 

3 

Horace  Mann 


Humboldt 


Irving 


IV 

V 

VI 

VII 
VIII 

IV 

V 
VI 
VII 
VIII 

IV 
V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


2.5 

3.2 

2.5 

1.8 

1 

1.9 

2 

2.2 

1.4 

1 

3.4 

4.2 

4.2 

4.3 

2.6 

5.4 

8.8 

9.2 

7.8 

4.6 

5.1 

8.1 

6.7 

8 

4.7 

3.6 

3.8 

3.8 

2.3 

4.7 

3.6 

5.6 

2.7 

3.6 

2.7 

5.5 

7. 

6.3 

3.5 

2.9 

4.1 

7.8 

4.5 

7.5 

3.3 

2.5 

3.4 

2.9 

1.5 

1.7 

3. 

7.1 

4.3 

3.3 

.6 

4.7 

6.5 

5.3 

4.7 

4.7 

Lincoln 


Lowell 


IV 

V 

VI 

VII 
VIII 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


2.7 

2.8 

2.5 

1 

.6 

4.5 

5.8 

3.1 

2.6 

2.8 

3.4 

4.7 

4.7 

3.9 

2.8 

3.9 

6. 

4.9 

3.6 

2.4 

6.6 

7.5 

6.5 

7.3 

3 

2.5 

3.8 

2.9 

1.3 

.4 

2. 

2. 

2.9 

1.9 

1. 

3.4 

5. 

4. 

2.4 

2. 

McKinley 


IV 
V 

VI 

VII 
VIII 


3 

4 
4 

6.7 


3 

5 

8 

11 


4 
5 
6 
9.1 


2 
4 
5 

8.5 


1 

2 
3 
4.6 


Washington 


IV 

V 

VI 

VII 
VIII 


3.2 
4.6 
3.8 


3.3 

6- 

7.8 


3.3 
4.8 

7 


2.2 
4.1 
6.5 


1.6 
2.6 
3.8 


The  Courtis  standards  used  in  these  tests  for  the  different  grades  were 
derived  from  over  25,000  pupils  representing  school  systems  of  all  sizes. 

In  general,  these  tests  show  the  upper  grades  to  be  below  the  standards 
in  the  fundamentals  of  arithmetic.  This  is  due  to  one  of  two  causes.  There 
is  a  lack  of  drill  in  the  fundamentals  in  these  grades,  or  the  drill  given  is 
not  vitalized.     The  average  of  the  eighth  grade  indicates  that  drill  in  funda- 


37 


mentals  is  much  neglected,  and  that  lists  of  single  type  problems  is  the  order, 
instead  of  problems  of  various  types  calling  for  original  thinking  In  applied 
problems. 

With  the  exception  of  the  test  in  addition,  the  progress  of  the  pupils 
through  the  grades  until  reaching  the  seventh  grade  is  quite  uniform. 

A  study  of  Table.  I  shows  a  lack  of  uniform  progress  In  some  schools 
as  the  pupils  pass  through  the  grades. 

The  fifth  grade  of  the  Garfield  School  shows  much  more  power  than 
the  sixth  grade.  The  seventh  grade  of  the  Horace  Mann  shows  more  ability 
than  the  eighth  grade.  These  conditions  indicate  loose  classifications  because 
of  a  lack  of  standards. 

If  these  great  differences  in  individual  schools  were  corrected  by  more 
efficient  supervision,  the  average  of  the  Alton  Schools  would  closely  approach 
the  standards. 

It  is  recommended  that  systematic,  vitalized  drill  be  pursued  throughout 
the  grades. 

That  clear  and  accurate  thinking  in  one-step  problems  be  acquired  in 
the  lower  grades  before  two  or  more  step  problems  be  given  pupils. 

That  the  problems  be  more  closely  related  to  the  pupils'  experience  and 
every  day  life. 


READING 

The  chief  elements  In  reading  are  (1)  the  comprehension  of  the 
material  read,  (2)  the  speed  in  reading,  and  (3)  the  correctness  of  pronun- 
ciation. The  first  two  are  the  more  important,  and  much  mor^  easily  meas- 
ured than  the  third.  For  this  reason  the  tests  given  in  reading  are  for  the 
purpose  of  measuring  ability  in  speed  and  comprehension  in  silent  reading 
in  the  six  upper  grades,  and  for  measuring  the  same  elements  in  oral  reading 
in  the  first  and  second  grades. 

The  material  and  standards  used  are  the  Starch  Tests,  which  have 
been  made  with  over  75,000  pupils  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  test  material  is  composed  of  eight  selections,  the  number  of  the 
selection  corresponding  to  the  grade  in  which  used.  The  increases  in  difficulty 
from  one  sample  to  the  next  represent  uniform  steps. 

Comprehension  by  the  Starch  tests  is  determined  by  counting  the 
number  of  words  written  which  correctly  reproduce  the  thought.  These 
words  become  the  index  of  comprehension. 

Since  children  of  the  first  and  second  grades  are  not  expected  to 
reproduce  thought  in  writing,  the  Starch  tests  are  modified,  as  will  be  seen, 
so  that  comprehension  is  based  upon  oral  reproduction  guided  by  questions. 
The  score  of  each  question  is  supposed  to  represent  the  relative  values  of  the 
questions. 

The  percentage  acquired  upon  the  whole  selection  is  used  in  finding 
the  comprehension  by  taking  such  a  percentage  of  the  words  read  per  second. 

The  following  are  the  Starch  standards: 
Grades  12  3  4 

Speed   1.5         1.8         2.1         2.4 

Comprehension    15  20  24  28 

One  thousand  one  hundred  ninety  pupils  took  the  tests  in  reading. 

Reading  Test 
Grades  I  and  II 

Test  each  pupil  individually  outside  the  class  room.  Allow  him  to 
read  orally  all  of  Card  I.  Time  him  carefully  for  30  seconds,  drawing  a  circle 
around  the  last  word  read.  Give  him  no  assistance.  Tell  him  to  pass  over 
any  word  he  can  not  pronounce. 

Divide  the  number  of  words  read  in  30  seconds  by  30.  This  gives  his 
score  in  speed.  After  he  has  finished  reading  ask  the  questions  given  and 
grade  the  paper.  To  determine  his  comprehension,  suppose  his  grade  is  40 
per  cent  and  his  speed  35  words  in  30  seconds,  his  score  in  comprehension  is 
40  per  cent  of  35,  or  14. 

38 


5 

6 

7 

8 

2.8. 

3.2 

3.6 

4.0 

33 

38 

45 

50 

Grades  III-VIII,  inclusive 

In  Grades  III-VIII,  inclusive,  the  test  should  be  made  a  class  exercise. 

Give  each  pupil  a  card  face  down  on  desk.  Allow  the  class  to  read 
exactly  30  seconds,  and  have  them  place  a  circle  around  the  last  word  read. 
Then  turn  over  the  paper  and  write  all  they  remember  having  read,  allowing 
as  much  time  as  they  need.     Score  speed  as  above. 

To  determine  comprehension  count  the  number  of  words  which  cor- 
rectly reproduce  the  thought,  cancelling  all  other  words.  Use  this  number  as 
the  score  in  comprehension. 


Qrades  I  and  II 

Card  No.  1 

With  whom  did  the  little  girl  live? 

What  happened  because  they  were  poor? 

Where  did  the  little  girl  go  one  day? 

Why  did  she  go  there? 

For  what  did  she  wish? 

Of  whom  did  she  think  besides  herself? 

Whom  did  she  then  see? 

Why  was  the  little  girl  so  sad? 


Card   No.   2 

1.  Where  did  Betty  live   ?  When? 

2.  How  old  was  she? 

3.  Did  she  like  to  help  her  mother? 

4.  What  had  she  learned  to  do? 

5.  What  did  she  like  to  do  best?. 

6.  Why  was  Betty  left  alone  one  day? 

7.  Who  was  visiting  the  South? 

8.  How  did  he  travel  from  town  to  town? 

9.  How  was  the  coach   drawn? 

10.  How  many  men  rode  on  horseback? 

11.  Where  did  they  ride? 


10 
15 
10 
15 
12 
12 
11 
15 


12 
8 
8 

12 
8 

10 
8 
9 
9 
8 
8 


No.  1 

Once  there  was  a  little  girl  who  lived  with  her  mother.  They  were 
very  poor.  Sometimes  they  had  no  supper.  Then  they  went  to  bed  hungry. 
One  day  the  little  girl  went  into  the  woods.  She  wanted  sticks  for  the  fire. 
She  was  so  hungry  and  sad!  "Oh,  I  wish  I  had  some  sweet  porridge!"  she 
said.  "I  wish  I  had  a  pot  full  for  mother  and  me.  We  could  eat  it  all  up." 
lust  then  she  saw  an  old  woman  with  a  little  black  pot.  She  said,  "Little  girl, 
why  are  you  so  sad?"    "I  am  hungry,"  said  the  little  girl. 

No.  2 

Betty  lived  in  the  South,  long,  long  ago.  She  was  only  ten  years  old, 
but  she  liked  to  help  her  mother. 

She  had  learned  to  do  many  things.  She  could  knit  and  sew  and  spin; 
but  best  of  all  she  liked  to  cook. 

One  day  Betty  was  alone  at  home  because  her  father  and  mother  and 
Drother  had  gone  to  town  to  see  a  wonderful  sight. 

The  great  George  Washington  was  visiting  the  South.  He  was  going 
from  town  to  town,  riding  in  a  gref^t  white  coach. trimmed  with  shining  gold. 
It  had  leather  curtains,  and  soft  cushions.  Four  milk-white  horses  drew  it 
along  the  road. 

Four  horsemen  rode  ahead  of  the  coach  to  clear  the  way  and  four 
others  rode  behind  it.    They  were  all  dressed  in  white  and  gold. 

No.  3 

Little  Abe  hurried  home  as  fast  as  his  feet  could  carry  him.  Perhaps 
if  he  had  worn  stockings  and  shoes  like  yours  he  could  have,  run  faster. 
But,  instead,  he  wore  deerskin  leggings  and  clumsy  moccasins  of  bear  skin 
that  his  mother  had  made  for  him. 

Such  a  funny  little  figure  as  he  was,  hurrying  along  across  the  rough 
fields!  His  suit  was  made  of  war  homespun  cloth.  His  cap  was  made  of 
coonskin,  and  the  tail  of  the  coon  hung  behind  him,  like  a  furry  tassel. 

But  if  you  could  have  looked  into  the  honest,  twinkling  blue  eyes  of 
this  little  lad  of  long  ago,  you  would  have  liked  him  at  once. 


39 


In  one  hand  little  Abe  held  something  very  precious.  It  was  only  a 
book,  but  little  Abe  thought  more  of  that  book  than  he  would  have  thought 
of  gold  or  precious  stones. 

You  cannot  know  just  what  that  book  meant  to  little  Abe,  unless  you 
are  very  fond  of  reading.  Think  how  it  would  be  to  see  no  books  except  two 
or  three  old  ones  that  you  had  read  over  and  over  until  you  knew  them  by 
heart! 

No.  4 

The  red  squirrel  usually  waked  me  in  the  dawn,  running  over  the 
roof  and  up  and  down  the  sides  of  the  house,  as  if  sent  out  of  the  woods  for 
this  very  purpose. 

In  the  course  of  the  winter  I  threw  out  half  a  bushel  of  ears  of  sweet 
corn  onto  the  snow  crust  by  my  door,  and  was  amused  by  watching  the 
motions  of  the  various  animals  which  were  baited  by  it.  All  day  long  the 
red  squirrels  came  and  went,  and  afforded  me  much  entertainment  by  their 
maneuvers. 

One  would  approach,  at  first,  warily  through  the  shrub-oaks,  running 
over  the  snow  crust  by  fits  and  starts  like  a  leaf  blown  by  the  wind.  Now 
he  would  go  a  few  paces  this  way,  with  wonderful  speed,  making  haste  with 
his  "trotters"  as  if  it  were  for  a  wager;  and  now,  as  many  paces  that  way, 
but  never  getting  on  more  than  half  a  rod  at  a  time. 

Then  suddenly  he  would  pause  with  a  ludicrous  expression  and  a 
somerset,  as  if  all  eyes  in  the  universe  were  fixed  on  him.  Then,  before  you 
could  say  Jack  Robinson,  he  w^ould  be  in  the  top  of  a  young  pitch-pine, 
winding  up  his  clock  and  talking  to  all  the  universe  at  the  same  time. 

No.  5 

Once  upon  a  time,  there  lived  a  very  rich  man,  and  a  king  besides, 
whose  name  was  Midas;  and  he  had  a  little  daughter,  whom  nobody  but 
myself  ever  heard  of,  and  whose  name  I  either  never  knew,  or  have  entirely 
forgotten.  So,  because  I  love  odd  names  for  little  girls,  I  choose  to  call 
her   Marygold. 

This  King  Midas  was  fonder  of  gold  than  anything  else  in  the  world. 
He  valued  his  royal  crown  chiefly  because  it  was  composed  of  that  precious 
metal.  If  he  loved  anything  better,  or  half  so  well,  it  was  the  one  little 
maiden  who  played  so  merrily  around  her  father's  footstool.  But  the  more 
Midas  loved  his  daughter,  the  more  did  he  desire  and  seek  for  wealth.  He 
thought,  foolish  man!  that  the  best  thing  he  could  possibly  do  for  his  dear 
child  would  be  to  give  her  the  immensest  pile  of  yellow,  glistening  coin,  that 
had  ever  been  heaped  together  since  the  world  was  made.  Thus,  he  gave  all 
his  thoughts  and  all  his  time  to  this  one  purpose.  If  ever  he  happened  to 
gaze  for  an  instant  at  the  goldtinted  clouds  of  sunset,  he  wished  that  they 
were  real  gold,  and  that  they  could  be  squeezed  safely  into  his  strong  box. 
When  little  Marygold  ran  to  meet  him,  with  a  bunch  of  buttercups  and 
dandelions,  he  used  to  say,  "Poh,  poh,  child!  If  these  flowers  were  as 
golden  as  they  look,  they  would  be  worth  the  plucking!" 

And  yet,  in  his  earlier  days,  before  he  was  so  entirely  possessed  of  this 
insane  desire  for  riches,  King  Midas  had  shown  a  great  taste  for  flowers. 

No.  6 

In  a  secluded  and  mountainous  part  of  Stirla  there  was  in  old  time  a 
valley  of  the  most  surprising  and  luxuriant  fertility.  It  was  surrounded  on 
all  sides  by  steep  and  rocky  mountains,  rising  into  peaks  which  were  always 
covered  with  snow,  and  from  which  a  number  of  torrents  descended  in  con- 
stant cataracts.  One  of  these  fell  westward  over  the  face  of  a  crag  so  high 
that,  when 'the  sun  had  set  to  everything  else,  and  all  below  was  darkness, 
his  beams  still  shone  full  upon  this  waterfall,  so  that  it  looked  like  a  shower 
of  gold.  It  was,  therefore,  called  by  the  people  of  the  neighborhood,  the 
Golden  River.  It  was  strange  that  none  of  these  streams  fell  into  the  valley 
itself.  They  all  descended  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains,  and  wound 
away  through  broad  plains  and  past  populous  cities.  But  the  clouds  were 
drawn  so  constantly  to  the  snowy  hills  and  rested  so  softly  in  the  circular 
hollow,  that  in  time  of  drought  and  heat,  when  all  the  country  round  was 
burnt  up.  there  was  still  rain  in  the  little  valley;  and  its  crops  were  so  heavy 
and  its  hay  so  high,  and  its  apples  so  red,  and  its  grapes  so  blue,  and  its 
wine  so  rich,  and  its  honey  so  sweet,  that  it  was  a  marvel  to  everyone  who 
beheld  it,  and  was  commonly  called  the  Treasure  Valley. 

The    whole    of    this    little    valley    belonged    to    three    brothers    called 

40 


\ 


Schwartz,  Hans  and  Gluck.    Schwartz  and  Hans,  the  two  elder  brothers,  were 
very  ugly  men,  with  overhanging  eyebrows  and  small  dull  eyes. 

No.  7 

Japtain  John  Hull  was  the  mint-master  of  Massachusetts,  and  coined 
all  the  money  that  was  made  there.  This  was  a  new  line  of  business,  for  in 
the  earlier  days  of  the  colony  the  current  coinage  consisted  of  gold  and 
silver  money  of  England,  Portugal  and  Spain.  These  coins  being  scarce,  the 
people  were  often  forced  to  barter  their  commodities  instead  of  selling  them. 

For  instance,  if  a  man  wanted  to  buy  a  coat,  he  perhaps  exchanged  a 
bearskin  for  it.  If  he  wished  for  a  barrel  of  molasses,  he  might  purchase  it 
with  a  pile  of  pine  boards.  Musket-bullets  were  used  instead  of  farthings. 
The  Indians  had  a  sort  of  money  called  wampum,  which  was  made  of  clam- 
shells, and  this  strange  sort  of  specie  was  likewise  taken  in  payment  of 
debts  by  the  English  settlers.  Bank-bills  had  never  been  heard  of.  There 
was  not  money  enough  of  any  kind,  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  to  pay  the 
salaries  of  the  ministers,  so  that  they  sometimes  had  to  take  quintals  of 
fish,  bushels  of  corn,  or  cords  of  wood  instead  of  silver  or  gold. 

As  the  people  grew  more  numerous  and  their  trade  one  with  another 
increased,  the  want  of  current  money  was  still  more  sensibly  felt.  To  supply 
the  demand  the  general  court  passed  a  law  for  establishing  a  coinage  of 
shillings,  sixpences,  and  three  pences.  Captain  John  Hull  was  appointed  to 
manufacture  this  money,  and  was  to  have  about  one  shilling  out  of  every 
twenty  to  pay  him  for  the  trouble  of  making  them. 

No.  8 

The  years  went  on,  and  Ernest  ceased  to  be  a  boy.  He  had  grown 
to  be  a  young  man  now.  He  attracted  little  notice  from  the  other  inhabi- 
tants of  the  valley;  for  they  saw  nothing  remarkable  in  his  way  of  life, 
save  that,  when  the  labor  of  the  day  was  over  he  still  loved  to  go  apart  and 
gaze  and  meditate  upon  the  Great  Stone  Face.  According  to  their  idea  of  the 
matter,  it  was  a  folly,  indeed,  but  pardonable,  Inasmuch  as  Ernest  was 
industrious,  kind,  and  neighborly,  and  neglected  no  duty  for  tfie  sake  of 
indulging  this  idle  habit.  They  knew  not  that  the  Great  Stone  Face  had 
become  a  teacher  to  him,  and  that  the  sentiment  which  was  expressed  in  It 
would  enlarge  the  young  man's  heart,  and  fill  it  v/ith  wider  and  deeper 
sympathies  than  other  hearts.  They  knew  not  that  thence  would  come  a 
better  wisdom  than  could  be  learned  from  books,  and  a  better  life  than  could 
be  moulded  on  the  defaced  example  of  other  human  lives.  Neither  did  Ernest 
know  that  the  thoughts  and  affections  which  came  to  him  so  naturally,  in  the 
fields  and  at  the  fireside,  and  wherever  he  communed  with  himself,  were  of  a 
higher  tone  than  those  which  all  men  shared  with  him. 

By  this  time  poor  Mr.  Gathergold  was  dead  and  buried:  and  the  oddest 
part  of  the  matter  was,  that  his  wealth,  which  was  the  body  and  spirit  of  his 
existence,  had  disappeared  before  his  death,  leading  nothing  of  him  but  a 
living  skeleton,  covered  over  with  a  wrinkled,  yellow  skin.  Since  the  melting 
away  of  his  gold,  it  had  been  very  generally  conceded  that  there  was  no  such 
striking  resemblance,  after  all,  betwixt  the  ignoble  features  of  the  ruined 
merchant  and  that  majestic  face  upon  the  mountainside. 


41 


Reading — Speed 


/ 

^^ 

/ 

^^  V 

/ 

^^^ 

/ 

^-^ 

Words 

Read  3 

per 
Second 

2 


Grades       12         3         45573 


Figure  6, 


Starch  Standard 


»_  _    Alton  Average 


Comprehension. 


50 
40 
30 

20 
10 


y 

^  ^1 

y 

^ 

> 

> 
y 
y  ^ 

- 

y  ^ 
^^^ 

345 

Figure  7. 


Starch  Standard 
Alton  Average 


8 


42 


TABLE  2. 


School 


Garneld 


Grade 


I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


Words  Read  per 
Minute 


1.8 
2.8 
1.7 

4.7 
2.6 
2. 


Comprehension 

17 

18 

27 

.28 

45.2 

29.4 


Gillham 


Horace  Mann 


I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


.9 
1.4 

1.6 
3.8 
3.5 
3.3 
3.4 
3.9 


12 

20 

25.7 

37 

38 

35 

43.3 

44.4 


Humboldt 


I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


1.5 
3. 

2.7 
3.7 
2.6 
3.1 
4.9 


39 

42 

36 
42 
37 


Irving 


I 

II 

III  ' 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


1.8 

2.6 

2. 

4. 

3.5 

4.8 


18 
14 

35 
42 
25 
62 


Lincoln 


I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


1 
1.1 

1.7 
2.7 
3.2 
2.5 
3.6 
3.19 


12 
26 
36 
21 
35 
29 
49 
44 


Lowell 


I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 


1.31 

1.65 
1.63 
3.52 
3.51 
2.9 


16 
18 
15 
25 
31 
18 


43 


Table  2.  —  ( Continued) 


Words  Read 

per 

School 

Grade 

Minute 

Co 

m  prehension 

I 

1 

18 

II 

2.1 

21 

III 

2. 

30 

McKinley 

IV 

3.2 

40 

V 

3 

47 

VI 

4.1 

23 

VII 

5 

40 

VIII 

I 

1.7 

16 

II 

2. 

18 

III 

1.7 

37 

Washington 

IV 

3.2 

29 

V 

2.4 

35 

VI 

2.3 

24 

VII 

VIII 

Figures  6  and  7  show  that  the  comprehension  of  the  lower  grades  is 
higher  than  the  speed  with  which  they  read,  whereas  the  upper  grades  read 
faster  than  they  interpret. 

This  result  may  be  attributed  to  a  lack  of  training  in  silent  reading 
and  of  standards  for  testing  interpretation,  or  to  too  little  emphasis  placed 
upon  the  appreciative  side  of  reading.  More  training  in  silent  reading  and 
thought  appreciation  in  the  upper  grades  seems  necessary. 

Figure  6  and  Table  2  reveal  entirely  too  great  differences  in  the 
uniform  growth  through  the  grades. 

The  Lincoln,  Horace  Mann  and  McKinley  Schools,  though  below  stand- 
ard in  the  first  grade,  show  a  uniform  growth  with  slight  exceptions  through 
the  grades. 

The  differences  seen  in  other  schools  show  a  need  of  supervision. 
For  instance,  in  the  Garfield  School  the  children  of  the  second  grade  read 
with  greater  speed  than  the  children  of  the  sixth  grade.  In  the  Washington 
School  the  fourth  grade  pupils  both  read  with  greater  speed,  and  compre- 
hend better  than  pupils  of  the  sixth  grade.  The  same  is  true  in  the 
Lowell. 

Systematic  training  in  silent  reading  and  speed  both  in  silent  and 
oral  reading  is  recommended. 


44 


SPELLING 

The  words  used  for  the  spelling  tests  were  selected  from  the  Ayres 
Spelling  Scale.  It  is  composed  of  1,000  commonest  words  in  English  writing, 
so  arranged  as  to  show  standards  of  spelling  ability  in  all  the  grades  from 
the  second  through  the  eighth.  The  standards  are  computed  from  1,400,000 
spellings  by  children  in  84  cities  of  all  sizes  throughout  the  country. 

The  following  lists  of  words  were  given  in  two  forms.  The  Lincoln, 
Irving,  Washington,  McKinley,  Gillham,  and  Lovejoy  Schools  spelled  them 
in  isolated  lists.  The  Humboldt,  Garfield,  Lowell,  Horace  Mann,  and  Doug- 
lass spelled  the  twenty  words  arranged  in  sentences. 


11  Grade 

III  Grade 

IV  Grade 

V  Grade 

eat 

became 

except 

usual 

sit 

brother 

aunt 

complaint 

belong 

mail 

bridge 

beautiful 

door 

eye 

built 

repair 

low 

upon 

center 

trouble 

stand 

would 

wonder 

importance 

yard 

where 

pair 

mayor 

bring 

without 

itself 

engine 

five 

Friday 

always 

guest 

ask 

July 

woman 

Mrs. 

just 

reach 

copy 

newspaper 

home 

price 

among 

daughter 

much 

horse 

doctor 

sail 

long 

clean 

hear 

cities 

then 

finish 

there 

several 

house 

across 

dollar 

clerk 

year 

tenth 

sure 

o'clock 

to 

these 

God 

escape 

I 

coming 

history 

which 

some 

easy 

use 

length 

. 

VI 

Grade 

VII  Grade 

VIII  Grade 

lose 

guess 

distinguish 

avenue 

circular 

colonies 

neighbor 

argument 

foreign 

wear 

volume 

issue 

salary 

official 

respectfully 

machine 

victim 

majority 

success 

estimate 

principal 

drown 

accident 

testimony 

honor 

invitation 

discussion 

busy 

impossible 

arrangement 

prefer 

associate 

reference 

different 

automobile 

evidence 

director 

entitled 

experience 

diamond 

political 

session 

together 

national 

secretary 

feature 

refer 

association 

article 

minute 

career 

general 

absence 

height 

against 

folks 

athletic 

popular 

Wednesday 

cordially 

Sentences   containing   the   same  words   were  dictated  to  the   classes 
of  the  different  grades  as  follows: 


//  Orade 

1. 

2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 


My  five  year  old  brother  will  stand  at  the  door  of  our  house.  ■ 

We  can  sit  on  that  long  box  in  the  yard  and  eat  some  apples. 

Bring  the  low  chair  to  baby. 

Mary  did  not  tell  me  much  about  the  boy. 

Just  then  I  saw  John  go  home  to  ask  mother. 

The  books  belong  to  May. 


45 


Ill  Grade 


1.  His  work  became  easy  when  his  eye  was  well. 

2.  The  vmil  would  reach  my  brother  on  Friday,  July  the  fen</i. 

3.  These  horses  coming  across  the  street  will  be  sold  for  a  good  price. 

4.  Do  you  know  how  to  finish  without  help? 

5.  Where  is  your  clean  dress? 

6.  The  snow  fell  upon  the  ground. 

IV  Grade 

1.  The  bridge  itself  is  a  wonder  and  was  built  there  many  years  ago., 

2.  I  am  sure  God  can  see  and  hear  all  that  we  do  and  say. 

3.  Every  copy  of  history  was  sold  except  one. 

4.  Among  the  first  to  reach  the  center  of  the  crowd  was  the  doctor. 

5.  If  you  can  wse  this  pair  of  shoes,  you  may  have  them  for  one  dollar. 

6.  My  aunt  is  a  ivoman  who  is  always  trying  to  do  good, 

V  Grade 

1.  Mrs.  Brown  was  a  guest  at  a  party  given  at  three  o'clock  in  honor 

of  the  daiighter  of  the  mayor. 

2.  The  complaint  about  the  engines  was  attended  to  as  soon  as  the 

repair  wagon  arrived. 

3.  Several  cities  of  iynportance  failed  to  escape  the  shock  which  was 

caused  by  the  earthquake. 

4.  The  careless  clerk,  as  usual,  spoiled  the  beautiful  length  of  cloth. 

5.  In  the  newspaper  we  read  about  the  trouble  the  captain  had  trying 

to  lower  the  sail  of  the  boat. 

VI  Grade 

1.  The  general  thinks  the  soldiers  prefer  an  article  of  warm  clothing 

to  anything  else. 

2.  In  order  to  win  success  it  is  well  to  remember  that  honor  is  an 

important  feature. 

3.  The  director  receives  a  splendid  salary  since  he  handles  a  different 

machine. 

4.  Men  and  women  together  screamed  for  help  lest  they  should  drown 

when  the  high  waves  dashed  against  the  boat. 

5.  If  our  popular  neighbor  is  not  careful  he  will   lose  his  diamond 

ring  which  he  likes  to  wear  when  walking  on  the  busy  avenue. 

VII  Grade 

1.  It  will  be  impossible  to  accept  your  invitation  for  Wednesday. 

2.  An  estimate  is  better  than  a  guess. 

3.  The  victim  of  the  automobile  accident  held  an  official  position. 

4.  The  argument  about  the  circular  lasted  but  a  minute. 

5.  The  student  was  entitled  to  the  volume. 

6.  The  national  and  political  affairs  are  managed  by  many. 

7.  In  the  absence  of  the  house  folks,  I  refer  you  to  his  associate. 

VIII  Grade 

1.  His  athletic  career  was  then  at  its  height. 

2.  The  secretary  of  the  association  made  reference  to  the  question  at 

issue. 

3.  All  were  cordially  welcomed  at  the  principal  session. 

4.  The  arrangement  of  the  evidence  and  testimony  made  the  discus- 

sion clearer. 

5.  The  man  spoke  respectfully. 

6.  The  majority  of  the  foreign  colonies  had  the  same  experience. 

7.  Learn  to  distinguish  colors. 

Average  scores  in  spelling  in  each  gi  xde  from  the  second  through  the 
eighth  in  the  Alton  schools.  The  average  in  84  American  cities  for  each 
grade  is  79  per  cent. 


46 


TABLE  3 

No.  of 

Average 

in 

Average  in 

Grade 

Pupils 

Alton  Schools 

84 

Cities 

2 

146 

80 

79 

3 

158 

72 

79 

4 

148 

76 

79 

5 

162 

73 

79 

6 

166 

76 

79 

7 

98 

75 

79 

8 

69 

78 

79 

The  spelling  ability  in  the  different  grades  is  quite  uniform  but  there 
is  a  great  difference  in  attainment  in  the  various  schools. 

These  twenty  words  for  each  grade  as  used  in  the  Ayres  scale,  are  so 
graduated  in  difficulty  that  each  grade  according  to  the  standard  should  make 
79  per  cent. 

TABLE  4 
Spelling  Standard,  With  the  Average  of  Each  School. 


School 


Ayres 
Standard 


Alton 

Average 


Lincoln 

79 

73 

Irving 

79 

80 

Washington 

79 

85 

McKinley 

79 

76 

Lovejoy 

79 

75 

Gillham 

79 

80 

Humboldt 

79 

81 

Garfield 

79 

71 

Lowell 

79 

60 

Horace  Mann 

79 

73 

Douglass 

79 

60 

Dunbar 

79 

63 

Isolated  Lists 
Isolated  Lists 
Isolated  Lists 
Isolated  Lists 
Isolated  Lists 
Isolated  Lists 
Words  in  Sentences 
Words  in  Sentences 
Words  in  Sentences 
Words  in  Sentences 
Words  in  Sentences 
Words  in  Sentences 


Nine  hundred  forty-seven  pupils  of  Part  2  classes,  ready  to  pass  into 

the  higher  grade,  took  the  spelling  tests.     Of  the  18,320  spellings  there  were 

4.505  misspellings,  making  an  average  of  75  per  cent  for  all  the  schools  of 
Alton,  or  4  per  cent  below  the  Ayres  Standard. 

Four  hundred  ninety-eight  pupils  took  part  in  the  spelling  of  the 
isolated  words,  having  2,082  misspellings,  or  79  per  cent,  and  449  pupils  took 
the  test  in  sentence  spelling,  making  2,423  misspellings,  or  73  per  cent. 

Spelling  is  used  only  in  sentences  or  paragraphs,  and  if  taught  with 
this  aim  should  not  show  this  result.  Column  spelling  evidently  is  empha- 
sized too  much,  since  modern  methods  of  the  stiuhj  of  spelling  instead  of  the 
testing  of  spelling  give  reverse  results. 

Results  show  spelling  to  be  poorly  taught  in  several  schools. 


47 


WRITTEN   ENGLISH 

The  problem  of  spoken  and  written  language  is  no  doubt  the  most 
important  one  in  the  school  curriculum,  and  yet  there  has  been  an  almost 
entire  lack  of  standards  for  the  teacher. 

Few  attempts  have  been  made  to  measure  the  ability  of  pupils  to  talk, 
except  as  manifested  in  their  written  English.  In  a  few  instances  steno- 
graphic reports  have  been  made  of  oral  language  efforts  on  the  part  of 
pupils,  but  with  such  small  numbers  of  pupils  as  to  make  the  standards  of 
small  value. 

All  good  writers  may  not  be  good  speakers,  but  as  a  rule  good  speakers  * 
write  well.     A  common  standard  for  both   exercises  is  to  be  found  in  the 
ability  to  use   the  sentence   correctly.     The  clean-cut  sentence  lies   at  the 
basis  of  both  oral  and  written  English.     The  development  of  the  "sentence 
sense"  is  the  problem  in  each  case. 

The  following  tests  are  designed  to  measure  the  uniform  growth  of  the 
"sentence  sense"  as  pupils  pass  through  grades.  This  will,  in  a  large  degree, 
indicate  the  character  of  instruction  in  both  oral  and  written  English. 

These  results  are  compared  with  standards  derived  from  the  scores 
of  2,146  pupils  taking  the  same  tests.     The  following  tests  were  given: 

Test   in   Written   English 

Grades  IV  and  Y 

Select  one  of  the  following  titles  and  write  about  it,  not  to  exceed 
seven  sentences.  The  teacher  will  collect  all  papers  at  the  end  of  twenty 
minutes. 

1.  Spending  a  Nickel. 

2.  How  I  Build  a  Fire. 

3.  A  Surprise  for  Mother. 

4.  My  Excuse. 

5.  How  to  Direct  a  Stranger  to  an  Interesting  Place  in  Your  City, — 

Public  Library,  etc. 

6.  The  Back  Yard  Circus. 

7.  Afraid  of  a  Mouse. 

8.  A  Dog  I  Like. 

9.  The  Day  After  a  Holiday. 
10.     A  Friend  in   Need. 

Test   in   Written   English 

Grades  VI,  VII,  and  VIII 

Select  one  of  the  following  titles  and  write  about  it,  not  to  exceed 
ten  sentences.  The  teacher  will  collect  all  papers  at  the  end  of  twenty 
minutes. 

1.  The  Store  Windows  at  Christmas. 

2.  Getting  Up   on   a  Zero   Morning. 

3.  Why  I'd  Rather  Be  a  Boy. 

4.  Caught  in  the  Act. 

5.  Safety  First. 

6.  How  I  Lost  My  Belief  in  Santa  Claus. 

7.  The  Broken  Window. 

8.  The  Play  That  Won  the  Game. 

9.  No  Cats  Wanted. 

10.     The  Buried  Treasure. 


1 


48 


The    papers    were    scored    according    to    the    following    items,    and    the 
results  recorded  in  Table  4. 


No.  of 

Sentences 
Written 


No.  of 

Sentences 
Begun  and 
Ended 
Correctly 


No.  "ands" 
No.  of  No.  of       No.  "ands"         Used 

Simple  Complex  Used  Incor- 

Sentences     Sentences     Correctly  rectly. 


IV 

V 

VI 


VII 


VIII 


Under  systematic  training  in  English  there  should  be  uniform  growth 
in  the  power  of  pupils  to  use  correctly  the  simple  sentence.  At  the  same 
time  as  the  pupil  is  trained  to  subordinate  in  his  thinking  the  less  essentials, 
the  complex  sentence  begins  to  appear  both  in  his  oral  and  written  language, 
and  as  these  sentences  increase  through  the  grades,  the  proportional  number 
of  simple  sentences  decrease. 

One  of  the  greatest  problems  for  the  teacher  of  English  is  to  lead  the 
child  to  talk  and  to  write  in  simple  sentences.  The  proper  use  of  "and"  is 
fundamental  to  this  work  throughout  the  grades. 

With  these  fundamentals  as  standards.  Table  4  suggests  a  number  of 
conditions,  although  the  number  of  pupils  represented  in  these  standards  is 
not  large. 


49 


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In  the  most  elemental  exercise  of  writing  simple  sentences  there  Is  a 
lack  of  uniformity  in  growth.  The  sixth  grade  writes  much  better  than  the 
seventh  and  eighth.  In  the  use  of  complex  sentences  the  difference  between 
the  fourth  and  eighth  grades  is.  much  too  little. 

In  the  use  of  "and"  the  sixth  grade  shows  more  ability  than  either  of 
the  higher  grades. 

This  lack  of  uniform  progress  through  the  grades  in  the  ability  of 
pupils  to  write  simple  English,  suggests  more  systematic  training  in  the 
practice  of  talking  and  writing  in  simple  sentences,  and  that  less  time  be 
given  to  technical  grammar  and  more  time  to  functional  grammar  as  it  con- 
tributes to  daily  exercises  in  talking  and  writing. 


51 


HANDWRITING 

In  measuring  the  efficiency  of  writing,  there  are  two  prime  elements  to 
be  considered,  speed  and  quality. 

The  speed  has  been  ascertained  by  scoring  the  number  of  letters  written 
per  minute.  The  quality,  including  legibility  and  form,  is  measured  by  the 
Thorndike  scale,  which  was  constructed  from  1,000  samples  of  writing  by 
pupils  of  the  elementary  grades.  These  samples  were  arranged  in  the  order 
of  merit  by  forty  competent  judges.  This  resulted  in  a  scale  of  graded 
specimens  ranging  in  quality  from  0  to  18,  the  former  being  absolutely 
illegible  writing  but  recognizable  as  an  attempt  to  write,  and  the  latter  being 
a  perfect  copybook  model.  A  given  specimen  of  writing  was  measured  by^ 
putting  it  alongside  the  scale  and  determining  to  what  quality  it  is  nearest. 

The  pupils  of  the  fourth,  through  the  eighth  grades,  were  told  to  write 
repeatedly  the  line  "Mary  had  a  little  lamb"  as  well  and  as  rapidly  as  they 
could  during  two  minutes  without  interruptions,  and  to  make  no  erasures  or 
corrections.     They  wrote  with  pen  and  ink  on  ruled  paper. 

The  number  of  letters  written  in  two  minutes  was  divided  by  two,  and 
the  quotient  scored  as  the  speed  in  writing. 

The  following  figure  shows  the  standard  of  speed  based  upon  over 
6,000  pupils  in  28  schools. 

Writing — Fpeed 


Figure   8. 


..,___^___^    Standard 
_  ___  __^ Alton  Average 

Standards 

Grades  4  5  6  7  8 

Speed  47  57  65  75  83 

Quality  8.7  9.3  9.8  10.4  10.9 

The  average  speed  of  the  Alton  school  by  grades  is  69  letters  per  minute 

as  compared  with  65  letters  as  given  above. 

The  difference  in  speed  between  the  fourth  and  eighth  grade  pupils  of 
the  Alton  schools  is  but  15  letters,  while  the  standard  score  gives  a  difference 
of  37  letters. 

In  quality  the  Alton  schools  are  above  the  standard,  except  the  seventh 
grade,  which  is  slightly  below  standard  in  both  speed  and  quality. 

None  of  the  schools  exhibit  a  steady  progress  in  both  speed  and  quality, 
such  as  efflcient  supervision  and  instruction  give.    One  or  the  other  of  these 

52 


characteristics   is   cultivated   in  spots  beyond   what   is   normal   as   figure   11 
Bhows. 

Writing — Quality 


16  r 


14 


Thorn-  13 
dike 


Scale. 


12 


11 


10 


Grades 


Figure  9 


Thorndlke  Standard 


_»  ___  —  ■'^Itcn  Averap;e 


This  figure  shows  both   the  medium  of  each  grade,  and  the  highest 
quality  reached  by  any  pupil  of  the  grade. 

Quality 


Thorn- 
dike 

Scale 


15 

y 
/■     ... 

14 

i;j 

/■\, 

1     ^ 

/         V 

/ 

/ 

12 

/    \ 

/'  \ 

/      \ 

/           \ 

/ 

11 

/   \ 

/ 

\ 

10 

/  ^ 

/ ^ 

9 
8 

' 

Grades 


Figure   10. 


Standard 


53 


Average  quality  and  speed  of  handwriting  of  pupils  of  five  upper 
grades.     Quality  on  vertical  scale  and  speed  on  horizontal  scale. 

The  broken  line  in  the  figure  of  the  Garfield  School  shows  the  uniform 
growth  from  the  fourth  to  the  eighth  grade  both  in  speed  and  quality. 


Quality 


Bpaad 


40      50 


70      80      90 


Figure   11. 

Supervision  should  correct  such  irregularities  as  are  found  in  the 
schools  shown  in  Figure  11. 

In  the  Garfield  School  the  quality  of  writing  in  the  fourth,  sixth,  and 
seventh  grades  is  uniform.  The  difference  in  speed  between  the  fourth  and 
the  fifth  grades  amounts  to  45  points,  whereas  uniform  progress  in  well- 
supervised  schools  show  a  difference  of  about  10  points. 

Speed  in  writing  in  the  Irving  School  i-eaches  its  climax  in  the  fourth 
grade  where  pupils  write  86  letters  per  minute  and  then  declines  rapidly 
to  the  sixth  grade,  where  they  write  41  letters  per  minute.  The  improvement 
in  quality  through  these  three  grades  is  scarcely  noticeable.  This  is  a  most 
abnormal  condition  and  should  be  corrected  by  closer  supervision  and  better 
instruction. 

The  Horace  Mann  and  Lincoln  Schools  show  quite  uniform  progress 
through  the  grades  in  quality,  but  the  widest  fiuctuations  in  speed. 

Any  school  finding  its  sixth  grade  writing  at  the  rate  of  45  letters 
per  minute  less  than  its  fourth  grade,  with  little  improvement  in  quality, 
has  its  problem  most  clearly  defined. 

In  speed  and  quality  taken  as  a  whole  the  Alton  Schools  average  about 
the  same  as  the  standards  used  in  these  tests.    The  tests  show  a  great  lack  of 


54 


steady  progress  in  speed  and  quality.  These  wide  fluctuations  found  in  most 
of  the  schools,  are  due  to  poor  supervision,  resulting  in  poor  instruction  In 
some  grades,  while  in  other  grades  most  efficient  instruction  is  found.  Other- 
wise this  standard  would  not  be  maintained. 

GEOGRAPHY 

The  purpose  of  the  following  test  is  to  determine  the  ability  of  pupils 
to  study  and  learn  geography  according,  to  the  meaning  of  the  subject  as 
accepted  by  the  best  authority  of  today. 

This  ability  implies  two  elements,  (1)  a  knowledge  of  a  minimum 
amount  of  data  and  place  geography,  and  (2)  the  power  to  use  this  data  In 
simple  processes  of  reasoning  by  which  certain  rational  conclusions  are 
reached  in  reference  to  the  relation  of  man  to  his  environment. 

To  measure  the  first  element  is  an  easy  task.  The  old  time  examina- 
tion calling  for  the  location  of  a  long  list  of  places,  whether  essential  or 
non-essential,  will  serve  for  a  standard. 

To  determine  how  efficiently  a  child  can  reason  is  not  so  easy.  A  list 
of  questions  calling  for  different  processes  of  thinking,  may  easily  be  given, 
but  the  judgments  of  teachers  scoring  such  results  differ  so  widely  that  few, 
if  any,  accepted  standards  of  geography  have  been  worked  out. 

It  is  seriously  questioned  by  our  best  teachers  of  geography,  whether 
a  child  of  the  elementary  school  is  capable  within  so  brief  a  period  of  storing 
the  mind  with  a  sufficient  number  of  geographical  principles  or  data,  and 
at  the  proper  time  independent  of  the  guidance  of  a  teacher,  to  be  able  to 
exercise  the  type  of  judgment  needed  in  the  selection  and  application  of  these 
various  principles  to  the  multitude  of  problems  coming  up  in  the  study  of 
a  given  country. 

In  this  test  it  is  assumed  that  the  child  of  the  seventh  grade  having 
completed  the  study  of  a  country,  after  being  taught  to  organize  geographic 
facts  as  he  should,  can  take  geographical  data  when  placed  before  him  and 
make  use  of  them  in  a  better  appreciation  of  economic  values  and  geographic 
conditions. 

The  following  tests  are  prepared  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Reavis  and  Mr.  Mandel 
E.  Branon  of  Harris  Teachers'  College  of  St.  Louis,  and  have  been  given  to 
642  pupils  of  seventh  grades. 

One  hundred  four  pupils  of  the  seventh  grade  of  the  Alton  schools 
took  the  tests  upon  the  countries  most  recently  completed  In  their  studies. 

These  countries  were  Canada,  France,  Italy,  England,  and  the  Pacific 
Section  of  the  United  States. 

The  following  pages  are  the  tests  as  given. 

Co.mpletion  Test  for  the   Measurement  of   Minimum   Geographic    Knowledge 

of  Elementary  School   Children 

Pupil Age Grade School 

Part    I. 

On  a  9x12  unlettered  outline  map  of  the  world,  indicate  the  location 
of  the  continents  and  oceans  by  writing  the  names  in  the  proper  places. 
Time  limit,  3  minutes.  Allow  V^  point  for  each  continent  or  ocean  correctly 
located.     Possible  score,  5.5  points. 

Part  II. 
On  a  9x12  unlettered  outline  map  of  the  world,  write  in  the  correct 
place  the  name  of  each  of  the  following  countries:  United  States,  Great 
Britain,  Germany,  France.  India,  Italy,  Russia,  Canada,  Austria-Hungary, 
Japan,  China,  Brazil,  Afgentina,  Netherlands,  Mexico,  Bergium,  Australia, 
Spain,  Sweden,  Egypt,  Turkey.  Time  limit,  5  minutes.  Allow  1/2  point  for 
each  country  located  correctly.     Possible  score,  10.5  points. 

Part  III. 
Country 

1.  Give  the  direction  of  this  country  from  your  home  city 

2.  Give  in  square  miles  the  approximate  area  of  the  United  States 

Underline  the  term  that  more  nearly  expresses  the  area  of  the  above-named 
country  in  comparison  with  the  United  States:  (a)  Larger,  (b)  Smaller, 
(c)   Approximately  the  same. 

55 


3.  Give  the  approximate  population  of  the  United  States 

Underline  the  term  that  more  nearly  expresses  the  population  of  the  above 
country  in  comparison  with  the  United  States:  (a)  Larger,  (b)  Smaller, 
(c)  Approximately  the  same. 

4.  Name  an  important  highland  of  this  country 


5.  Underline  the  statements  that  more  nearly  indicate  the  prevailing 
conditions  of  this  highland:  (a)  Easy  to  cross,  (b)  Extends  below  the  tree 
line,'  (c)  Large  cities,  (d)  Dense  population,  (e)  Permanent  snowfields, 
(f)  Much  mining,  (g)  No  large  cities,  (h)  Herding  industry  important, 
(i)   Difficult  to  cross. 

6.  Name  an  important  river  basin  of  this  country 


7.  Underline  the  statements  that  more  nearly  indicate  the  prevailing 
conditions  concerning  this  lowland:  (a)  Dense  population,  (b)  River  im- 
portant for  navigation,  (c)  Needs  irrigation,  (d)  Much  mining  (e)  Much 
swamp  and  overflow  land,  (f)  Agriculture  important,  (g)  Manufacturing 
important,  (b)  Sparse  population,  (i)  Herding  important. 

8.  Underline  the  statement  that  describes  the  prevailing  temperature 
of  the  country,  (a)  Primarily  in  hot  belt,  (b)  Primarily  in  cold  belt,  (c) 
Primarily  in  intermediate  belt. 

9.  Underline    the    statement    that    describes    the    prevailing    rainfall: 

(a)  Heavy   rainfall    (above   50    in.),    (b)    Moderate   rainfall    (20   to   50    in), 

(c)  Light  rainfall  (less  than  20  in.) 

10.  Underline  the  name  of  each  plant  product  that  is  important  in  this 
country;  Corn,  wheat,  oats,  barley,  rye,  buckwheat,  potatoes,  cotton,  tobacco, 
flax,  rice,  sugar,  apples,  peaches,  beans,  peas,  silk,  cocoa,  coffee,  tea,  oranges, 
lemons,  fibres,  rubber,  bananas,  grapes,  nuts,  wood. 

11.  Write  the  name  of  one  of  the  products  underlined  above 

Underline  its  important  use  or  uses:  (a)  Food  for  man,  (b)  Fuel,  (c)  Cloth- 
ing, (d)  Shelter,  (e)  Luxury,  (f)  Food  for  animals. 

12.  Underline  the  name  of  each  animal  that  is  important  in  this 
country:     Cattle,     hogs,     sheep,     horses,     mules,     goats,     poultry. 

13.  Write  the  name  of  one  of  the  animals  underlined  above 

Underline    its  important   use   or   uses:     (a)    Meat,    (b)    Milk,    (c)    Clothing, 

(d)  Egg,   (e)    Beast  of  burden. 

14.  Underline  the  name  of  each  mineral  product  that  is  important  In 
this  country:  Coal,  iron,  petroleum,  phosphates,  nickel,  copper,  gold,  sulphur, 
natural  gas,  tin,  silver,  lead,  zinc,  aluminum. 

15.  Write  the  name  of  one  mineral  product  underlined  above 

Underline  its  important  use  or  uses:  (a)  Fuel,  (b)  Machinery,  (c)  Fertilizer, 
(d)  Alloy,  (e)  Light,  (f)  Jewelry,  (g)  Paints,  (h)  Plumbing  supplies, 
(i)  Chemicals. 

16.  Underline  the  prevailing  manufacturing  conditions:    (a)  Extensive, 

(b)  Moderate,   (c)    Slight. 

17.  Underline  the  influential  factors  in  the  development  of  manufactur- 
ing: (a)  Good  water  power,  (b)  Much  coal,  (c)  Abundant  labor  supply, 
(d)  Scarcity  of  coal,  (e)  Abundant  capital,  (f)  Little  water  power, 
(g)   Public. roads  well  improved,   (h)   Public  roads  in  bad  condition. 

18.  Underline  the  statements  more  nearly  indicating  the  prevailing  con- 
ditions of  transportation  :  (a)  Rivers  important,  (b)  Rivers  of  little  impor- 
tance, (c)  Lakes  very  important,  (d)  Lakes  of  little  importance,  (e)  Rail- 
'roads  well  developed,  (f)  Railroads  undeveloped,  (g)  Public  roads  well  im- 
proved,     (h)    Public  roads  in  bad  condition. 

19.  Underline  each  of  the  cities  of  this  country:  Washington,  London, 
Berlin,  Paris,  Petrograd,  Vienna,  Tokyo,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Buenos  Ayres, 
Mexico  City,  Brussels,  Sydney,  Madrid,  Stockholm,  Cairo,  Constantinople, 
Baltimore,  Boston,  Buffalo,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Denver, 
Detroit,  Indianapolis,  Jersey  City,  Kansas  City,  Los  Angeles,  Louisville,  Mil- 
waukee, Minneapolis,  Newark,  New  Orleans,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  Port- 

56 


land,  Providence,  Rochester,  St.  Louis,  St.  Paul,  San  Francisco,  Seattle, 
New  York,  Bahia,  Havana,  Montevideo,  Montreal,  Santiago,  San  Paulo, 
Toronto,  Budapest,  Glasgow.  Hamburg,  Liverpool,  Manchester,  Moscow, 
Naples,  Warsaw,  Bombay,  Canton,  Hankow,  Osaka,  Tientsin,  Calcutta, 
Amsterdam. 

20.     Write  the  name  of  one  of  the  cities  underlined  in  the  preceding 

exercise Underline  the  statement  that  more  nearly  indicate 

the  prevailing  conditions:  (a)  Seaport,  (b)  River  port,  (c)  Important  rail- 
road center,  (e)  A  political  capital,  (f)  A  mountain  pass  city  (g)  An 
important  manufacturing  center,   (h)   An  important  commercial  center. 


Note: — In  cases  of  doubt  regarding  pupils'  answers  to  questions,  it  is 
recommended  that  the  pupil  be  given  the  benefit  of  the  doubt.  Time  limit  30 
minutes.     See  score  card  for  values  of  different  exercises. 

Note.— 1.  In  case  of  doubt  regarding  correctness  of  the  pupils'  response 
to  an  exercise,  it  is  recommended  that  the  pupil  be  given  the  benefit  of  the 
doubt.  2.  In  testing  the  United  States,  the  second  part  of  Exercises  2  and  3 
should  be  omitted. 


67 


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58 


The  papers  were  accurately  marked  and  results  correctly  scored  by  the 
teachers  and  principals  of  the  schools  having  the  seventh  grade. 

This  test  being  a  completion  test  and  given  immediately  or  soon  after 
the  study  of  a  country  is  completed,  the  score  of  pupils  should  be  much 
higher  than  if  applied  to  countries  remotely  studied. 

The  average  number  of  points  scored  by  642  pupils  in  the  seventh  grade 
of  eight  different  schools  is  78  points,  and  the  average  number  of  points 
scored  by  104  pupils  of  the  Alton  schools  is  66  points. 

These  results  show  the  widest  variations  both  in  individuals  of  the 
same  class  and  in  different  schools. 

This  would  indicate  that  geography  is  pursued  as  a  process  of  memoriz- 
ing facts  instead  of  a  process  of  solving  the  problems  herein  presented. 

Four  schools  took  the  test  on  Canada  with  the  following  scores: 

Horace  Mann  73,  McKinley  62,  Irving  76,  and  Washington  75. 

The  Lincoln  School  averaged  52  points  in  the  test  on  Italy,  and  the 
Irving  63  points  on  France. 

This  study  suggests  that  certain  minimum  essentials  in  place  geography 
be  fixed;  that  certain  standards  be  outlined  by  which  teachers  may  measure 
results;  and  that  the  problematic  method  of  attack  be  more  uniformly  pur- 
sued, whereby  the  less  essentials  in  the  subject  may  be  eliminated,  and  the 
more  essentials  better  organized  in  the  light  of  the  solution  of  definite 
problems. 


59 


THE  ALTON    HIGH   SCHOOL 

by 

W.  J.  S.  Bryan- 

Assistant  Superintendent  of  Instruction,  St.  Louis 


Physical  Conditions 

The  Alton  High  School  is  housed  in  two  buildings,  one  the  main  high 
school,  the  other  the  Horace  Mann  School  of  Upper  Alton,  in  which  the  first 
year  pupils  use  the  auditorium,  three  class  rooms,  a  basement  room  fitted  for 
a  manual  training  shop,  and  another  small  room  27'x27'  in  the  basement, 
which  is  made  to  serve  as  a  gymnasium,  although  quite  unsuitable. 

The  main  building  is  fairly  adequate  for  the  uses  of  the  school.  The 
manual  training  shop  seems  crowded,  but  might  be  improved  by  rearrange- 
ment and  a  more  systematic  use  of  the  smaller  rooms  for  storage  and  specific 
processes  or  parts  of  the  work.  The  domestic  science  room  is  commodious 
but  is  not  attractive  and  does  not  suggest  the  improvements  that  are  so 
desirable  in  modern  homes.  The  kitchen,  in  which  so  much  of  the  work 
essential  to  family  well-being  is  done,  ought  to  be  made  as  sightly  and 
pleasing  as  possible,  and  the  school  room  in  which  cooking  is  taught  ought 
to  accustom  those  who  take  the  subject  to  conditions  desirable  in  the  homes. 
The  chemistry  laboratory  gives  the  impression  of  crowding,  though  it  seems 
to  provide  the  conditions  essential  for  work.  The  provision  for  biology 
seems  very  meagre.     Physiography  also  lacks  equipment. 

It  would  improve  the  general  atmosphere  of  the  school  if  an  effort 
were  made  to  relieve  the  bareness  of  the  rooms  by  pictures  and  illustrative 
material  in  keeping  with  the  subjects  taught  in  them.  The  unconscious 
effect  of  stimulating  surroundings  is  so  helpful  that  progressive  communities 
ought  to  make  generous  provision  for  securing  it. 

Still  more  apparent  is  the  need  of  such  provision  in  the  Horace  Mann 
School,  where  the  bareness  of  the  walls  and  the  absence  of  anything  beyond 
the  necessary  articles  of  school  furniture  is  very  noticeable.  In  addition  to 
this  general  lack,  no  provision  is  made  for  the  teaching  of  science  in  this 
school  and  without  illustrative  material  and  the  means  of  experimentation 
it  is  almost  vain  to  attempt  to  awaken  or  develop  an  interest  in  science  or 
to  cultivate  the  scientific  spirit,  which  is  so  large  a  factor  in  present  day 
civilization  and  progress. 

It  is  a  great  mistake  not  to  make  generous  provision  for  pupils  of  the 
ninth  grade  or  first  year  of  the  high  school,  as  they  are  at  a  critical  stage  in 
their  education  and  may  be  turned  aside  from  its  further  pursuit  by  lack 
of  provision  for  the  satisfaction  of  their  awakening  consciousness  of  the 
human  activities  surrounding  them  and  beckoning  them  to  participation  in 
the  world's  work.  The  demand  for  socializing  conditions  and  opportunities 
is  very  great  at  their  age,  and  the  idea  of  doing  real  work  is  alluring.  If 
the  needs  of  these  young  people  are  not  seen  and  met,  many  of  them  may 
be  checked  in  their  development  and  drop  out  of  school  to  their  own  great 
detriment  and  the  irreparable  loss  to  the  community,  of  which  they  are  the 
chief  prospective  asset. 

Attitude  and   Response  of  Pupils 

The  greater  part  of  two  days  was  spent  in  the  rooms  and  corridors  of 
the  two  high  school  buildings,  and  the  work  of  nearly  every  one  of  the 
teachers  was  observed  and  the  attitude  and  response  of  the  pupils  noted. 
To  the  credit  of  both  teachers  and  pupils  it  must  be  said  that  the  conduct 
of  the  young  people  was.  admirable.  Not  only  was  there  no  resistance  to  be 
overcome  by  the  teacher,  but  there  was  evident  open-mindedness  to  sugges- 
tion and  instruction,  and  ready  response  to  direction,  together  with  much 
intelligent  effort  to  participate  in  the  work  assigned  and  to  contribute  to  the 
result  to  be  attained. 

In  the  entire  time  spent  in  the  schools  only  one  instance  of  friction 
between  pupil  and  teacher  was  noticed.  With  this  exception  there  was  no 
sign  0^  tension,  no  uneasiness  or  apprehension  of  possible  disorder.  On  the 
contrary,  there  seemed  to  be  in  evidence  everywhere  else  such  relations 
between  teacher  and  pupils  as  would  be  conducive  to  the  execution  of  the 
teacher's  lesson  plans  for  the  day.  The  co-operation  of  pupils  with  teachers 
was  evidence  of  helpful  relations  and  indicative  of  that  mutual  respect  which 
is  the  product  of  efficient  work  on  the  part  of  principal  and  teachers,  recog- 
nized and  appreciated  by  pupils,  who  as  a  rule  can  be  trusted  to  sense  and 
reflect  right  conditions. 

60 


Salaries 

The  average  salary  i)aid  to  teachers  in  the  high  schools  is  only 
$1,038.09,— to  men  only  $1,121.42,  to  women  only  $996.42.  The  range  of 
salaries  paid  is  from  $800.00  to  $1,350.00.  This  is  not  remunerative  enough 
to  secure  or  retain  the  services  of  capable,  properly  prepared,  and  progressive 
teachers,  nor  is  it  commensurate  With  the  requirements  for  high  school 
teachers  now  generally  approved, — namely,  the  equivalent  of  an  A.B.  degree 
or  four  years  of  successful  work  in  college  or  university  of  recognized  stand- 
ing, comprising  special  work  in  education.  The  average  period  of  service  of 
the  teachers,  including  principals,  is  only  5.95  years,  and  of  teachers  alone 
is  only  5.11  years,  of  men  only  3.85  years,  and  of  women  only  6.37  years,  or 
with  two  exceptions  only  4.25  years.  These  facts  would  seem  to  indicate 
that  the  salaries  paid  are  not  sufficient  to  secure  and  retain  the  services  of 
teachers  of  desired  qualifications. 

If  competent  teachers  can  not  be  secured  by  the  salaries  offered,  or 
having  been  secured  are  dissatistied  or  restless  and  feel  the  need  of  change 
in  order  to  secure  better  remuneration,  or  indeed  to  preserve  their  self 
respect,  the  consciousness  of  the  transient  character  of  the  positions  held  will 
have  a  strong  tendency  to  blunt  the  edge  of  ambition  and  to  dampen  the 
ardor  of  attack  upon  the  problems  presented  for  solution.  .  If  teachers  are 
unable  to  feel  that  their  positions  promise  the  satisfaction  of  natural  social 
desires  and  insure  to  competence  the  comforts  and  amenities  of  home  life 
which  education  has  prepared  them  to  appreciate  and  enjoy,  to  expect  them 
to  exhibit  the  missionary  spirit  of  self-abnegation  that  will  lead  them  to 
endure  privations  and  to  subject  themselves  to  hard  and  embarrassing  con- 
ditions which  will  preclude  their  happiness  and  impair  their  usefulness, 
disparaging  their  merit  and  belittling  the  value  of  their  service  to  the  com- 
munity and  the  value  of  education  in  general.  The  position  of  teacher  in  a 
community  which  withholds  deserved  recognition  from  its  teachers  is  likely 
to  be  accepted  only  as  a  stepping  stone  or  makeshift  to  be  thrown  aside  as 
some  more  profitable  occupation  offers  or  a  teacher's  position  in  some  more 
prosperous  or  appreciative  community  can  be  obtained. 

Supervision 

The  effect  of  competent  supervision  is  generally  conceded  and  is  too 
well  known  to  need  any  explanation  or  argument  at  this  time.  This  is  one 
respect  in  which  there  is  need  of  change  in  the  Alton  High  Schools.  The 
principal  of  the  main  high  school,  which  has  seventeen  teachers  besides  him- 
self, teaches  two  classes  a  day,  and  the  principal  of  the  Horace  Mann  School, 
which  also  has  seventeen  teachers,  three  of  whom  are  teachers  of  high  school 
classes,  teaches  four  classes  a  day.  Neither  of  these  principals  can  have 
the  time  or  opportunity  to  supervise  the  work  of  his  school  and  supervision 
is  the  most  important  and  valuable  service  a  principal  can  render.  Much 
of  the  business  of  the  school  can  be  done  after  school  hours,  supervision  must 
be  done  when  the  teachers  are  conducting  their  classes. 

Supervision  is  the  work  that  requires  the  greatest  knowledge  of 
educational  processes  and  methods,  of  child  nature,  or  psychology.  To 
expend  his  time  on  class  instruction  is  to  deprive  his  school  of  systematic, 
intelligent  organization  and  to  take  from  his  teachers  his  constructive  criti- 
cism of  their  work  and  the  unifying,  harmonizing  influence  of  first  hand 
acquaintance  with  the  work  of  the  various  units.  It  is  costly,  unintelligent 
economy  that  saves  a  teacher's  salary  and  loses  a  principal's  leadership. 
It  were  far  better  to  engage  even  an  inexperienced  teacher,  who  would  be 
supervised  by  the  principal,  released  from  hours  of  teaching.  At  present 
both  schools  could  be  served  by  one  teaclier.  Unless  principals  are  given  full 
opportunity  for  supervision  of  classes,  they  can  not  be  held  to  strict  account- 
ability for  the  conduct  of  their  schools. 

Qualifications  of  Teachers 

Of  twenty-three  teachers,  including  two  principals,  one  is  an  A.B. 
and  A.M.  of  Syracuse,  New  York;  eleven  are  graduates  of  Shurtleff  College; 
one  of  the  University  of  Illinois;  one  of  Oberlin  College;  one  of  McKendree 
College;  one  of  Valparaiso  University;  one  of  Bradley  Polytechnic  Institute; 
one  of  Ottowa  University;  one  of  Northwestern  College,  Naperville,  Illinois; 
one  had  a  year's  work  at  Illinois  Wesleyan  College  and  a  year's  work  at 
McKendree  College;  one  had  a  year's  work  at  Normal  Illinois  and  one 
summer  at  the  University  of  Illinois;  one  had  a  year's  work  at  the  Ursuline 

61 


Convent  and  a  year's  work  at  Brown's  Business  College;  one  had  two  years' 
work  at  Normal,  Illinois.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  Shurtleff  College, 
McKendree  College,  Ursuline  Convent,  and  Valparaiso  University  are  not 
on  the  latest  approved  list  of  colleges  accredited  by  the  North  Central 
Association   of   Colleges  and   Secondary    Schools. 

It  is  very  desirable  that  there  should  be  about  an  equal  number  of 
men  and  women  in  the  corps  of  high  school  teachers.  It  can  not  be  demon- 
strated that  with  equal  preparation  teachers  of  either  sex  are  superior,  but 
the  influence  of  both  sexes  is  needed  for  the  most  effective  training  and 
guidance  of  boys  and  girls  of  high  school  age.  There  are  in  the  Alton  High 
Schools  twenty-three  teachers,  including  the  two  principals.  Of  these  onjy  - 
eight  are  men. 

Instruction 

In  two  days'  observation  of  the  actual  teaching  done  in  the  high 
schools  some  excellent  work  was  heard  and  some  that  could  not  be  com- 
mended. Some  of  the  teachers  were  young  and  inexperienced  and  evidently 
needed  close  supervision,  but  could  and  no  doubt  would  profit  greatly  by  wise 
suggestion  and  constructive  criticism.  The  general  spirit  shown  merited 
praise.  There  was  evidence  of  lesson  planning  on  the  part  of  the  teacher 
and  of  genuine  interest  in  the  work.  In  nearly  all  cases,  also,  the  presenta- 
tion of  the  work  showed  personal  consideration  of  the  individual  pupils.  The 
methods  employed  were  not  always  the  best,  and  the  plan  of  attack  was  not 
always  the  one  likely  to  secure  the  greatest  advance,  but  there  was  no  com- 
plaint on  the  part  of  the  teacher  of  lack  of  preparation  by  the  pupils  or  of 
failure  to  comprehend  obscure  points  in  the  lesson,  no  vain  questioning  of 
pupil  after  pupil  to  get  a  desired  but  unknown  answer.  No  pupil  was  made 
uncomfortable  by  an  expression  of  surprise  at  his  inability  to  grasp  a  thought 
supposed  to  be  obvious. 

By  way  of  suggestion,  it  seems  well  to  call  attention  to  the  need  of 
directed  study  as  a  part  of  each  period  of  class  work.  In  this  direction  of 
study  without  doubt  there  exists  the  greatest  opportunity  for  improvement 
of  high  school  teaching.  There  should  be  less  testing,  more  teaching,  more 
definiteness  of  assignment,  more  direction  of  the  pupils'  effort  to  study  the 
lesson  assigned.  In  this  way  waste  of  time  and  effort  of  both  teacher  and 
pupils  may  be  minimized  and  growth  in  power  of  independent  constructive 
mental  activity  may  be  progressively  increased. 

Success   Record  of   Pupils  by  Subjects  and  Teachers 

A  study  of  the  records  of  the  pupils  of  the  Alton  High  Schools  for  the 
last  half  year  shows  that  in  the  various  subjects  studied  out  of  a  total  of  2294 
enrollments  in  the  various  classes  1888  made  a  passing  grade,  which  is 
82.3%.  Pupils  who  dropped  out  of  the  various  classes  numbered  169,  leaving 
237  who  remained  in  the  various  classes  but  failed  to  satisfactorily  complete 
the  work  of  the  half  year  in  some  subject.  It  must  not  be  thought  that 
these  numbers  of  pupils  who  dropped  out  or  failed  represent  individual 
pupils,  for  each  pupil  would  be  enrolled  in  four  or  five  classes,  and  the  same 
pupil's  name  would  appear  in  the  record  as  often  as  he  was  dropped  or 
failed  or  passed. 

The  success  in  the  various  subjects  ranged  from  72.9%  in  German  to 
100%  in  pedagogy,  as  follows:  Pedagogy,  100%>;  civics,  90%.;  English, 
83.6%-;  manual  arts,  81.8%r:  mathematics,  81.6%;  commercial  subjects, 
79.8%o;  Latin,  78%;  science,  73.8%^;  German,  72.9%-.  The  number  of  pupils 
taking  these  subjects  is  a  very  pertinent  fact  in  determining  the  significance 
of  the  percent  of  success.  Not  much  can  be  inferred  from  the  record  made 
by  a  few  pupils.  In  pedagogy  there  were  10  pupils;  in  civics,  60;  in  English, 
434;  in  manual  arts,  275;  in  mathematics,  185;  in  commercial  subjects,  253; 
in  Latin,  164;    in  German.  96;    in  science,  321. 

The  record  of  the  pupils  taught  by  the  various  teachers  shows  an 
average  for  all  teachers  of  81.08%,  and  ranges  from  57.4%-,  making  a  passing 
grade  to  98.3%.  The  various  percents  of  pupils  who  passed  with  individual 
teachers  were:  98.8%.;  94.6%,  92.5%r,  92.5%,  86.6%.;  86.4%,  84.7%r.,  83.6%. 
83.6%r,  81.8%,  80.9%,  80.4%  80%,  80%.  77.1%,  76.3%,  75.4%,  74.2%,  73%r, 
72.5%,  72.1%,  57.4%.  The  wide  range  of  pupils'  success  in  various  subjects 
and  under  various  teachers  suggests  the  need  of  a  careful  study  by  the 
principals  and  individual  teachers  (1)  of  the  contents  of  the  various  subjects 


62 


and  their  distribution  tlirougli  the  half  years,  (2)  of  the  basis  of  marking 
the  worli  of  pupils  and  the  interpretation  of  that  basis  by  the  individual 
teachers,  (3)  of  the  method  of  presentation  of  subject  matter,  (4)  of  the 
direction  of  the  pupils  in  their  study,  (5)  of  the  efficiency  of  teaching.  The 
content  of  each  subject  for  the  successive  half  years  should  be  such  as  to 
equalize  the  difficulty  of  the  work  and  the  possibility  of  its  successful  per- 
formance considering  the  increasing  power  of  pupils  due  to  maturity  and 
training.  The  interpretation  of  grades  of  marking  should,  as  far  as  possible, 
be  the  same  by  all  teachers,  though  allowance  for  variation  of  judgment 
always  will  be  necessary.  It  may,  however,  be  reduced  to  a  minimum  by 
repeated  and  persistent  efforts.  Frequent  statements  of  the  adopted  signifi- 
cance of  percents  in  marking  together  with  free  and  full  discussion  txy  teach- 
ers will  tend  toward  uniformity  of  practice  and  eliminatiaa.  of  personal 
peculiarities. 

There  should  not  be  so  wide  a  variation  from  the  average,  which  may 
be  regarded  as  the  temporary  norm  of  efficiency  to  be  raised  by  individual 
and  combined  effort  extending  over  a  period  of  years  after  the  need  of 
improvement  is  recognized  and  consciously  sought.  The  change  can  not  be 
wrought  in  a  day  or  brought  about  by  the  stroke  of  a  pen.  To  falsify  records 
will  not  improve  teaching  or  increase  the  scholarship  of  pupils  or  better  their 
education.  Intelligent,  conscientious  study  of  the  problem  will  aid  in  its 
solution. 

Retardation,  Elimination,  Repetition 

The  average  age  of  pupils  by  half  years,  taken  at  the  beginning  of  the 
half  year,  is  as  follows: 

First  half  year 48  Pupils  Average  age  13.8 

Second  half  year 74  Pupils  Average  age  14.7 

Third  half  year 26  Pupils  Average  age  15.3 

Fourth    half    year 42  Pupils  Average  age  15.6 

Fifth    half   year 29  Pupils  Average  age  15.8 

Sixth   half  year 48  Pupils  Average  age  16.4 

Seventh  half  year 37  Pupils  Average  age  16.4 

Eighth    half    year 43  Pupils  Average  age  17.5 


Increase 

.9 

Increase 

.6 

Increase 

.3 

Increase 

2 

Increase 

.6 

Increase 

.0 

Increase 

1.1 

347  Pupils  Average   ave   15.6 

These  figures  would  indicate  a  nearly  normal  rate  of  progress.  If  to 
the  lowest  average,  13.8  years,  we  add  3  years  and  6  months,  or  3.5  years,  we 
shall  get  17.3.     The  record  shows  17.5. 

It  appears  that  of  the  present  graduating  class 

2  per  cent  wnll  have  completed  the  four  years  work  in  3  years 
18  per  cent  will  have  completed  the  four  years  work  in  ZVz  years 
73  per  cent  will  have  completed  the  four  years  work  in  4      years 

3  per  cent  will  have  completed  the  four  years  work  in  4i/^  years 
5  per  cent  will  have  completed  the  four  years  work  in  5  years 
2  per  cent  will  have  completed  the  four  years  work  in  6      years 

The  average  length  of  time,  therefore,  spent  by  the  pupils  of  this  class 
will  be  3.96  years.  There  is,  it  appears,  no  ground  of  criticism  on  the  score 
of  retardation. 

The  percentage  of  pupils  entering  the  high  school  who  later  completed 
one  or  more  half  years  of  work  are: 

89  per  cent  1  half  year  11  per  cent  less  than  1  half  year 

75  per  cent  2  half  years  25  per  cent  less  than  2  half  years 

59  per  cent  3  half  years  41  per  cent  less  than  3  half  years 

55  per  cent  4  half  years  45  per  cent  less  than  4  half  years 

51  per  cent  5  half  years  49  per  cent  less  than  5  half  years 

44  per  cent  6  half  years  56  per  cent  less  than  6  half  years 

42  per  cent  7  half  years  58  per  cent  less  than  7  half  years 

41  per  cent  8  half  years  59  per  cent  less  than  8  half  years 

This  also,  on  the  whole,  is  a  very  creditable  showing.  The  largest  loss 
is  at  the  close  of  the  second  half  year,  which  generally  seems  to  be  the  most 
critical  point.  If  we  consider  the, number  completing  each  half  year  as  the 
number  entering  the  succeeding  half  year,  which,  however,  may  not  be  the 
case,  the  percentage  losses  of  each  successive  half  year  beginning  with  the 
second  would  be  as  follows:     15.73,  21.33,  6.77,  7.25,  13.72,  4.54,  2.38. 

63 


Course   of  Study 

As  at  present  provided,  in  order  to  graduate,  a  student  must  have 
completed  satisfactorily  four  years'  work  in  English,  two  years'  work  in 
science,  one  of  which  must  be  physics  or  chemistry,  two  years'  work  in 
mathematics,  and  two  years'  work  in  history,  or  in  place  of  one  year's  work 
in  history  a  third  year  of  science  or  a  fifth  year  of  a  foreign  language.  No 
foreign  language  is  required. 

It  is  questionable  whether  there  should  be  any  requirement  as  to 
mathematics  or  a  two-year  requirement  in  science  or  more  than  a  three-year 
requirement  in  English,  but  in  order  to  secure  the  educational  advantages  _ 
which  are  derived  fronl  continuous  work  along  certain  lines  of  study  it  would 
be  well  to  require  that  for  graduation  a  pupil  must  have  taken  two  majors 
of  three  years  each  and  two  minors  of  two  years  each  and  that  no  credit  be 
given  in  foreign  language  for  less  than  two  years'  work  in  the  same  language. 
A  major  or  a  minor  should  consist  of  three  or  two  years  of  work  in  the  same 
subject  or  in  related  subjects  given  in  sequence. 

The  need  of  training  for  citizenship  in  community,  state,  and  nation 
and  for  participation  in  the  work  of  the  world  is  so  obvious  and  so  urgent 
in  these  days  of  stress  and  strain,  when  democracy  is  fighting  for  its  right 
to  exist,  and  to  prove  its  fitness  as  a  form  of  government,  that  a  definite 
requirement  of  every  course  of  study  should  be  specific  study  of  the  social 
and  civic  relations  of  men  and  women.  Community  civics  should  be  studied 
by  every  boy  and  every  girl  in  the  high  school  in  the  first  year,  that  the  light 
shed  by  it  may  illumine  the  entire  four  years  and  go  with  them  into  their 
community  relations. 

That  they  may  not  enter  the  field  of  the  world's  work  ignorant  of  the 
various  kinds  of  endeavor  and  without  careful  thought  of  their  own  choice 
of  occupation  and  their  fitness  and  preparation,  a  study  of  vocations  should 
follow  the  study  of  community  civics  to  acquaint  each  boy  and  girl  with  the 
occupations  of  men  and  women,  their  demands,  the  need  of  preparation  for 
successful  entrance  into  them,  their  conditions,  rewards,  and  exactions. 
These  subjects  of  right  should  precede  the  subject  of  history  because  of 
their  social  aspect. 

The  history  of  the  United  States  should  ^e  a  required  subject  to  be 
taken  preferably  at  the  end  of  the  four  years  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
work  in  history,  that  there  may  be  brought  to  its  study  all  possible  maturity 
of  mind  and  fullness  of  information. 

Libraries,   Laboratories,  and  Shops 

In  the  Horace  Mann  School  the  only  specially  equipped  room  is  the 
manual  training  shop,  which  is  new  and  well  provided  with  benches  and 
tools  for  woodwork.  There  is  no  laboratory  or  equipment  for  the  teaching 
of  science.  The  library  also  is  very  inadequate.  It  is  unattractive  and 
apparently  not  in  a  state  of  efficiency.  Yet  this  is  just- the  age  for  the  culti- 
vation of  a  taste  for  reading  that  is  worth  while  and  stimulating. 

In  the  main  high  school  the  library  contains  2,000  volumes,  properly 
catalogued  and  ready  for  use.  The  pupils  draw  books  on  cards  as  in  a 
regular  library.  It  is  a  question  whether,  with  the  limited  number  of  books 
now  in  possession  of  the  school,  it  would  not  be  better  to  keep  them  in  the 
library  during  the  day  for  the  use  of  pupils  and  allow  them  to  be  taken  out  on 
cards  only  for  use  over  night  to  be  returned  before  school  in  the  morning. 
This  plan  would  insure  the  maximum  opportunity  for  their  use. 

Of  the  laboratories  and  shops  some  mention  has  been  made  elsewhere. 
The  physics  laboratory  best  satisfies  the  requirements  as  to  fixed  equipment 
and  apparatus.  The  chemical  laboratory  is  very  crowded  and  uninviting  and 
might  be  improved  greatly,  though  it  seems  to  provide  the  conditions  neces- 
sary for  work.  Physiography,  biology,  and  conxmercial  geography  need 
laboratories  and  equipment.  These  subjects  need  laboratory  treatment  and 
should  not  be  studied  from  books  mainly  but  from  natural  objects  and  col- 
lections of  illustrative  material,  pictures,  slides,  reels.  Moving  picture 
machines  are  now  available  and  exceedingly  helpful  for  instruction  purposes. 


64 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  CHILDREN  THROUGH  THE  GRADES 

by 

John  J.  Maddox 

Principal,  Wyman  School,  St.  Louis 


1.     Over-age  Children 

The  school  survey  seeks  to  determine  how  far  ahead  or  how  far  behind 
the  course  of  study  each  child  is  for  his  age.  This  is  done  by  making  a 
study  of  the  ages  of  all  the  children  and  the  grades  in  which  they  are 
enrolled.  A  certain  age  is  agreed  upon  as  the  normal  age  for  completing 
each  grade.  Children  finishing  the  grade  before  the  normal  age  are  regarded 
as  under-age  (accelerated);  those  finishing  the  grade  at  an  age  older  than 
normal  are  called  over-age   (retarded). 

Children  are  admitted  to  the  Alton  schools  at  the  age  of  six,  and  the 
course  of  study  is  planned  to  extend  over  a  period  of  eight  years.  Therefore, 
a  child  entering  at  his  earliest  opportunity  and  progressing  normally  through 
the  grades  should  finish  the  eight  grades  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  In  order  to 
make  liberal  allowance,  however,  for  late  entrance,  some  unavoidable  repeti- 
tion, and  the  admission  of  children  already  retarded  coming  from  other 
localities,  we  have  assumed  in  this  report  from  fourteen  up  to  fifteen  years 
as  the  normal  age  for  completing'  the  eighth  grade.  It  is  commonly  agreed 
that  the  very  latest  normaj  age  for  completing  the  elementary  school  work 
is  up  to  fifteen  years.  This  makes  the  normal  age  limit  for  completing  the 
first  grade  from  six  and  one-half  up  to  seven  and  one-half;  for  completing  the 
second  grade  from  seven  up  to  eight,  etc.,  etc.  With  these  normal  age  limits 
for  completing  each  of  the  grades  taken  as  the  basis  for  classification  a  study 
of  the  ages  of  all  the  children  enrolled  at  a  given  time  reveals  the  number 
of  children  in  each  grade  under-age,  that  is,  ahead  of  their  grade,  the  number 
normal  age,  that  is.  up  to  grade,  and  the  number  over  age,  that  is,  behind 
their  grade.  Such  a  study  was  made  of  all  the  children  enrolled  in  the  ele- 
mentary schools  of  Alton  for  the  month  ending  January  25,  1918.  The  results 
are  indicated  in  the  following  tables: 


65 


©P^-If) 


TABLE   II. 
Number  and  Percent  of  Children  Under-age,  Normal  Age,  and  Over-age. 

(By  Grades) 


Under 

Age 

Normal 

Over 

age 

Grade 

Part 

Number 

Percent 

Number 

Percent 

Number 

Percent 

Total 

I 

1 

119 

36.7 

142 

43.8 

63 

19.1 

324 

I 

2 

30 

19.3 

71 

45.8 

54 

34.8 

155 

II 

1 

71 

24.7 

126 

43.9 

90 

31.3 

287 

II 

2 

27 

17.1 

79 

50.3 

51 

32.4 

157 

III 

1 

56 

19.6 

126 

44.2 

103 

36.0 

285 

III 

2 

17 

11.2 

63 

41.7 

71 

47.0 

151 

IV 

1 

33 

13.3 

104 

42.1 

110 

44.4 

247 

IV 

2 

32 

17.2 

55 

29.5 

99 

53.2 

186 

V 

1 

46 

19.8 

89 

38.3 

97 

41.8 

232 

V 

2 

16 

13.5 

33 

27.9 

69 

58.4 

118 

VI 

1 

59 

29.3 

66 

32.8 

76 

37.8 

201 

VI 

2 

10 

11.8 

30 

35.7 

44 

52.3 

84 

VII 

1 

49 

24.8 

84 

42.6 

64 

32.4 

197 

VII 

2 

11 

13.7 

42 

52.5 

27 

33.7 

80 

VIII 

1 

27 

17.4 

77 

49.6 

51 

32.9 

155 

VIII 

2 

18 

25.7 

34 

48.5 

18 

25.9 

70 

Total 


621 


21.2 


1221 


41.6 


1087 


37.1 


2929 


67 


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TABLE  IV. 

Number  and  Percent  of  Children  Under-age,  Normal  Age,  and  Over-age. 

(By  Schools) 


Under 

Age 

Normal 

Over 

■age 

Schools 

Number 

Percent 

Number 

Percent 

Number 

Percent 

Total 

Lincoln 

93 

23.0 

193 

47.7 

118 

29.2 

404 

Humboldt 

77 

21.4 

147 

40.9 

135 

37.6 

359 

Irving 

81 

21.7 

133 

35.6 

159 

42.3 

373 

Lowell 

24 

12.8 

71 

37.9 

92 

49.1 

187 

Garfield 

48 

20.5 

99 

42.3 

87 

37.1 

234 

Washington 

53 

22.2 

116 

49.5 

65 

27.7 

234 

McKinley 

57 

26.5 

102 

47.4 

56 

26.0 

215 

GlUham 

33 

24.2 

47 

■       34.5 

56 

41.1 

136 

Horace  Mann 

120 

23.7 

252 

49.9 

133 

26.3 

505 

Douglass 

5 

6.0 

25 

30.1 

53 

63.8 

S3 

Lovejoy 

13 

15.4 

15 

17.8 

56 

66.6 

Si 

Dunbar 

5 

8.7 

10 

17.5 

42 

73.6 

57 

Washington  An.     4 

12.9 

5 

16.1 

22 

70.9 

31 

McKinley  An 

8 

29.6 

6 

22.2 

13 

48.1 

27 

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....621 

21.2 

1221 

41.6 

1087 

37.1 

2929 

69 


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TABLE  VI 
Retardation  in  American  Cities 

Name  of  City  No.  of  Pupils     Percent  Retarded 

1.  Quincy,  Massachusetts  4540  19 

2.  Racine,  Wisconsin  4075  28 

3.  Amsterdam,  N.  Y 2371  28 

4.  Syracuse,  N.   Y 13610  29 

5.  Indianapolis,  Indiana  23874  29 

6.  Danbury,   Connecticut   1967  31 

7.  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  32251  31 

8.  Rockford,   Illinois  '....  5649  32 

9.  Canton,  Ohio  5567  34 

10.  Elmira,  N.  Y 2487  34 

11.  New  Rochelle,  N.  Y 3641  34 

12.  Muskegon.  Michigan  3163  35 

13.  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y 3244  36 

14.  Topeka,  Kansas 4894  36 

15.  Alton,   Illinois   2929  37 

16.  Danville,  Illinois  2260  38 

17.  Trenton,   N.   J 8787  38 

18.  Reading,  Pa 10585  40 

19.  Plainfield,  N.  J 2312  40 

20.  Perth  Amboy,  N.  J : 3947  41 

21.  Bayonne,  N.  J 7033  42 

22.  Hazelton,   Pa 2655  42 

23.  Watertown,    N.    J 3303  43 

24.  East  St.  Louis,  III 5380  44 

25.  Schenectady,  N.  Y 7846  44 

26.  Elizabeth,  N.  J 7058  46 

27.  Kenosha,  Wisconsin  2223  48 

28.  Mont  Clair,  N.   J 2568  48 

29.  New  Orleans,  La.    (white) 23664  49 

30.  Passaic,  N.  J 5541  51 

Table  I  shows  the  number  enrolled  in  each  grade  and  the  number  of 
each  age  from  6  up  to  17 1/^.  The  figures  enclosed  by  a  heavy  line  indicate 
the  number  of  children  up  to  grade  (of  normal  age);  figures  to  the  left  of 
heavy  lines  show  the  number  of  children  ahead  of  their  grade  (accelerated); 
those  to  the  right  of  heavy  lines  indicate  number  of  children  behind  their 
grade  (retarded).  As  an  illustration  of  how  this  table  should  be  read  refer 
to  Grade  I,  part  I.  The  table  indicates  that  in  this  grade  there  are  119 
children  ahead  of  grade,  132  children  of  normal  age,  and  63  who  are  behind 
grade,  making  a  total  enrollment  of  324. 

Table  II  has  been  constructed  for  the  convenient  use  of  the  data  in- 
cluded in  Table  I.  It  shows  at  a  glance  the  number  of  children  in  each  grade 
under-age,  normal  age,  and  over-age,  also  the  percent  of  the  total  in  each 
grade  included  in  each  of  these  groups.  It  will  be  observed  from  the  totals 
of  this  table  that  of  the  2929  children  enrolled  in  the  Alton  Elementary 
schools  on  the  date  of  this  study  621  are  accelerated,  1221  are  of  normal  age, 
while  1087  are  retarded.  In  terms  of  per  cent  this  means  that  21.2%  are 
ahead  of  grade,  41.69r  are  up  to  grade,    while  37.1%  are  behind  grade. 

It  is  not  sufficient,  however,  to  know  that  a  certain  number  of  pupils 
are  ahead  or  behind  grade.  Another  significant  question  is:  To  what  degree 
are  children  accelerated  or  retarded?  Table  III  reveals  this  information.  It 
will  be  observed  that  8  children  are  retarded  5  years,  11  children  are  retarded 
414  years,  16  children  are  retarded  4  years,  etc.,  etc.  While  a  certain  amount 
of  retardation  is  to  be  expected,  it  is  somewhat  startling  to  note  that  while, 
in  the  system  as  a  whole,  only  24  children  are  more  than  one  year  ahead  of 
grade  491  children  are  more  than  a  year  behind  grade.  It  is  to  this  group 
of  seriously  retarded  children  that  the  survey  recommends  the  particular 
attention  of  the  school  authorities. 

In  order  to  make  this  report  as  helpful  as  possible  to  those  who  under- 
take to  solve  the  problem  of  retardation  the  data  for  each  of  the  fourteen 
schools  has  been  tabulated,  showing  the  amount  of  retardation  In  each 
school.  This  information  is  given  in  Tables  IV  and  V.  Table  IV  shows  the 
amount,  while  Table  V  indicates  the  degree  of  acceleration  and  retardation 
in  each  of  the  schools. 

71 


Table  VI  is  inserted  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  one  to  compare  the 
retardation  in  Alton  with  that  of  other  cities.  The  data,  with  the  exception 
of  that  for  Alton,  is  taken  from  a  table  in  Ayres'  "Identification  of  the  Misfit 
Child,"  Russel  Sage  Foundation,  Bulletin  No.  108,  which  deals  with  the 
results  of  certain  investigations  carried  on  in  1911  in  twenty-nine  American 
cities.  It  will  be  observed  that  Alton  makes  a  good  showing  when  compared 
with  this  list  of  cities,  there  being  only  fourteen  of  the  twenty-nine  with  a 
•smaller  percentage  of  retardation.  However,  it  should  be  kept  In  mind  that, 
since  this  investigation  seven  years  ago,  many  of  these  cities  have  pursued 
a  policy  tending  toward  the  elimination  of  retardation.  In  this  report 
emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  retarded  condition  of  large  numbers  in  Alton, 
but  what  is  said  should  not  be  interpreted  to  mean  that  the  condition  is  worse  ' 
than  in  the  average  city.  The  situation  exists  generally  and  is  coming  to 
be  recognized  as  one  of  the  common  problems  in  school  administration.  The 
question  of  vital  importance  is:  Have  the  schools  become  conscious  of  the 
problem  and  what  steps  are  being  taken  toward  its  solution? 

2.     The  Cause  of  Over-ageness 

The  school  survey  seeks  to  determine  not  only  the  amount  of  retarda- 
tion in  a  school  system,  but  to  discover  so  far  as  possible  the  causes.  Why 
are  1087  children  in  the  elementary  schools  of  Alton  behind  grade  for  their 
age?  This  condition  may  be  due  to  one  of  two  causes:  (a)  late  entrance  to 
school,  or  (b)  failure  to  progress  regularly  after  entrance.  (In  some  instances 
it  is  due  to  a  combination  of  these  two  causes.)  The  facts  at  hand,  how- 
ever, indicate  that  late  entrance  is  not  the  main  factor  in  bringing  about  this 
condition  in  Alton.  The  data  referred  to  are  to  be  found  in  Table  II.  While 
the  percent  of  over-ageness  in  the  first  grade  is  19.1,  in  the  first  part  of 
the  second  grade  it  is  31.3,  in  the  first  part  of  the  third  it  is  36,  and  In  the 
first  part  of  the  fourth  it  is  44.4.  This  constantly  increasing  percentage  of 
over-ageness  in  the  first  four  grades  indicates  rather  clearly  that  it  Is  due 
to  conditions  within  the  schools  themselves.  Further  evidence  to  substantiate 
this  position  is  to  be  found  in  the  gradual  decrease  of  under-age  children. 
While  in  the  first  part  of  the  first  grade  119  children  or  36.7%  of  the  entire 
first  grade  enrollment  are  under-age  this  percentage  drops  to  24.7  In  the 
second  grade,  part  first,  and  again  to  19.6  In  the  first  part  of  the  third  grade. 
By  the  time  we  reach  the  first  part  of  the  fourth  grade  we  have  but  13.3% 
of  the  enrollment  classified  as  under-age.  In  the  light  of  these  data  we  shall 
have  to  conclude  that  late  entrance  to  school  is  not  a  significant  factor  in 
explaining  why  1087  children  are  behind  grade,  but  that  the  cause  is  to  be 
found  in  the  failure  to  progress  regularly  after  entrance. 

It  is  not  suflicient,  however,  to  stop  with  this  general  conclusion.  An 
earnest  endeavor  should  be  made  to  discover  facts  which  will  show  exactly 
the  rate  at  which  the  children  are  progressing  through  the  grades.  A  well 
recognized  method  of  research  is  at  our  command  for  this  purpose. 

A  child  who  has  been  in  the  schools  four  years  and  is  in  the  fourth 
grade  is  classified  as  having  made  normal  progress.  If  he  has  been  in  school 
only  three  years  and  is  in  the  fourth  grade  he  is  regarded  as  having  made 
rapid  progress.  If,  however.  It  has  taken  five  or  more  years  of  schooling  to 
get  this  child  to  the  fourth  grade  he  is  considered  to  have  made  slow  progress. 
The  school  survey  seeks  to  determine  the  rate  of  progress;  ta  determine 
exactly  how  many  children  in  a  given  school  system  have  made  rapid,  normal, 
and  slow  progress.  Unfortunately  It  seems  Impossible  to  determine,  with  any 
degree  of  accuracy,  the  number  of  years  that  it  has  taken  the  children  In  the 
elementary  schools  of  Alton  to  reach  the  grades  in  which  they  are  now 
enrolled.  Such  a  study  can  be  made  only  where  the  entire  school  history  of 
each  child  is  available.  It  involves  the  examination  of  data  for  every  child 
in  the  system  for  every  year  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school.  With 
frequent  changes  of  each  pupil  from  room  to  room  within  a  building  and  even 
from  building  to  building  within  the  city  it  is  an  impracticable  undertaking 
to  secure  accurate  information  regarding  the  progress  of  2929  children  with 
the  limited  data  such  as  is  recorded  in  the  roll  book  now  In  use  In  the 
Alton  schools.  It  Is  urgently  recommended  that  steps  be  taken  at  once  which 
will  provide,  for  future  studies,  Information  of  the  character  needed.  The 
progressive  cities  of  the  country  have  adopted,  very  generally,  an  individual 
card  for  each  child  which  shows  his  complete  history  from  the  day  he  enters 
school  until  he  leaves.  This  card  shows  the  date  of  entrance  for  the  first 
time  and  bears  the  record  of  each  advance  made  from  grade  to  grade.  It 
shows  how  long  he  was  in  each  grade  and  the  date  of  his  advance  to  the 
next  higher.     The  card  Is  Interchangeable,  one  school  with  another,  so  that 

72 


the  same  card  remains  with  the  child  during  his  entire  school  life.  With 
such  cards  in  use  throughout  the  school  of  a  city  it  becomes  a  comparatively- 
easy  task  to  determine  at  any  time  the  number  of  children  .making  rapid, 
normal,  and  slow  progress.  It  is  only  through  such  a  study  that  we  are 
enabled  to  determine  the  extent  to  which  retardation  is  due  to  slow  progress; 
it  is  such  a  study  that  determines  for  a  school  system  the  number  of  children 
who  are  both  slow  and  retarded — children  who  bring  to  the  school  its  most 
serious  problems. 

In  addition  to  the  advantages  pointed  out  above  in  having  available 
data  which  show  the  rate  at  which  children  are  progressing  through  the 
grades  there  is  a  financial  consideration  attached  to  such  information  which 
must  not  be  overlooked.  It  is  appalling  to  think  of  the  additional  money 
cost  of  maintaining  a  system  of  schools  where  large  numbers  of  the  children 
are  progressing  at  a  rate  slower  than  normal.  For  the  month  ending  January 
25.  1918,  there  were  enrolled  in  the  elementary  schools  of  Alton  2929  children. 
The  following  table  shows  the  distribution  of  pupils  by  grades  and  the  aggre- 
gate years  of  attendance  required  for  them  to  reach  the  grades  in  which  they 
are  enrolled  provided  they  have  made  normal  progress. 

School  Years  Required  Aggregate  Years  of 

to  Reach  this  Grade  Attendance  at  Normal 

at  Normal  Progress  Progress 

1  479 

2  888 

3  1308 

4  1732 

5  1750 

6  1710 

7  1939 

8  1800 


No.  of  Pupils 

Grade 

Enrolled 

I 

479 

II 

444 

III 

436 

IV 

433 

V 

350 

VI 

285 

VII 

277 

VIII 

225 

Total 2929  11606 

These  figures  indicate  that  if  all  the  children  have  progressed  at  a 
normal  rate,  or  that  if  the  number  of  years  lost  by  slow  children  has  been 
counter-balanced  by  years  gained  by  rapid  children,  the  aggregate  number 
of  years  of  schooling  for  those  now  enrolled  is  11,606.  If,  however,  some  of 
the  children  have  taken  from  two  to  five  years  to  progress  one  grade  it  is 
evident  that  the  actual  aggregate  years  of  attendance  will  be  much  greater 
than  11,606,  and  that  the  loss  in  dollars  and  cents  for  the  City  of  Alton  will 
amount  to  a  considerable  sum.  This  sum  will  be  determined  by  multiplying 
the  cost  of  keeping  a  child  in  the  elementary  school  of  Alton  for  one  year 
($43.05  according  to  the  report  of  last  year)  by  the  difference  between  11,606 
and  the  actual  aggregate  years  of  attendance.  The  school  survey  has  revealed 
the  startling  fact  in  certain  American  cities  where  the  progress  records  of 
children  were  kept  by  the  schools  that  the  years  lost  by  slow  pupils  was  as 
much  as  28.7  times  as  great  as  the  amount  of  time  gained  by  rapid  pupils  and 
that  the  money  cost  of  this  condition  amounted  to  thousands  of  dollars. 
Investigations  in  a  large  number  of  cities  show  that,  as  a  rule,  the  number 
of  retarded  children  is  equal,  approximately,  to  the  number  making  slow 
progress.  Hence,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  Alton  has  1087  retarded  and  only 
621  accelerated  children  we  suspect,  very  strongly,  that  the  number  of  slow 
children  far  exceeds  the  number  of  rapid  ones,  that  the  years  lost  by  those 
making  slow  progress  amounts  to  much  more  than  the  years  gained  by  those 
making  rapid  progress,  and  that  the  actual  cost  of  promoting  a  child  one 
grade  exceeds  considerably  the  annual  per  capita  cost  of  keeping  the  child 
in  school  for  one  year. 

Not  only  does  the  use  of  the  cumulative  record  card  referred  to  above 
enable  the  school  to  determine  the  number  of  slow  and  rapid  pupils,  and  to 
compute  the  money  cost  of  slow  progress  or  the  money  saving  through  rapid 
progress,  but  it  identifies  for  the  school  authorities  those  children  needing 
special  attention.  While  investigation  has  show'n  that  the  number  of  slow 
children  approximates  the  number  retarded  in  most  of  our  cities  one  of  the 
most  important  findings  is  that  these  are  often  not  the  same  children.  This 
survey  points  out  in  Table  V  the  number  of  pupils  retarded  5  years,  4  years, 
etc.,  etc.,  in  each  of  the  schools.  The  remedies  suggested  in  the  following 
paragraphs  have  these  pupils  especially  in  mind.  They  constitute  a  problem. 
But  some  of  these  retarded  children  have  made  rapid  progress,  perhaps, 
during  the  time  they  have  been  in  school,  others  have  progressed  normally. 

73 


while  late  entrance  seems  not  to  have  been  a  prominent  factor  in  bringing 
about  this  retardation  other  factors  after  entrance  may  have  operated  to 
cause  the  rapidly  and  normally  progressing  child  to  become  retarded.  In 
particular,  however,  some  of  these  children  are  both  retarded  and  slow.  This 
is  the  group  that  should  receive  special  attention.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
the  data  for  identifying  the  slow  child  is  not  at  hand. 
3.     Plans  for  Reducing   Retardation  and  Promoting  Acceleration 

(a)  The  Si^ecial  ScJiool 

Children  vary  in  mental  ability  just  as  they  vary  in  strength,  height, 
etc.  A  child  who  has  reached  the  age  of  twelve  in  years  may  not  have  reached 
the  age  of  nine  in  mental  development.  The  psychologist  is  prepared  today 
to  measure  the  mental  age  of  children.  It  is  usually  found  that  in  only  about 
75  per  cent  of  our  school  children  does  the  mental  age  correspond  with  the 
actual  age  in  years  and  months.  Of  the  remaining  25  per  cent  some  are 
found  whose  mental  age  is  far  below  the  actual  age — so  far  below,  in  fact, 
that  we  designate  them  as  mentally  defective  or  feeble-minded.  In  such 
children  intelligence  will  never  develop  to  a  level  much  beyond  that  of  the 
twelve-year-old  child  of  normal  mentality.  Indeed,  in  many  cases,  the  mental 
development  may  never  go  beyond  that  of  the  eighth  or  ninth  year.  It  is 
generally  estimated  that  in  any  city  the  number  of  such  children  does  not 
exceed  2  or  3  per  cent  of  the  entire  enrollment,  and  often  falls  as  low  as 
1/2  per  cent.  The  exact  number  can  be  determined  only  by  an  expert  in  the 
measurement  of  mental  capacity.  These  children  have  come  into  the  world 
short  in  intelligence,  and  should  never  be  expected  to  compete  with  normal 
children.  The  best  possible  instruction  cannot  get  results  from  these  children 
in  academic  work.  The  responsibility  of  the  school  in  regard  to  such  children 
is  to  see  that  they  get  the  kind  of  training  which  will  prepare  them  for 
earning  a  livelihood  and  prevent  them,  so  far  as  possible,  from  becoming 
a  menace  morally  to  the  community.  Such  children  should  be  selected  with 
the  greatest  of  care  by  someone  trained  in  this  kind  of  work  and  then  placed 
in  a  special  school  established  with  the  needs  of  such  children  primarily  in 
mind.  These  children  should  not  be  sent  to  such  a  school  with  the  idea  that 
they  can  be  "coached"  in  the  subjects  of  the  regular  curriculum  and  then 
returned  to  the  classes  maintained  for  normal  children.  If  these  children 
are  properly  selected  in  the  first  place  very  few  will  ever  be  found  who  will 
show  sufficient  growth  in  mentality  to  justify  a  new  classification.  For  this 
school  a  special  course  of  instruction  with  a  very  large  amount  of  manual 
work  and  only  the  simplest  forms  of  the  academic  should  be  provided.  It  is 
probable  that  one  such  school  in  the  City  of  Alton  would  accommodate  all  the 
children  who  properly  belong  to  this  group.  The  establishment  of  such 
schools  would  tend  toward  the  elimination  of  retardation  by  removing  from 
the  regular  rooms  those  children  of  extremely  low  mentality  for  whom  normal 
progress  in  the  regular  course  of  instruction  is  an  impossibility. 

(b)  TJie  Ungraded  Room. 

After  taking  from  all  the  schools  those  whose  mentality  is  so  low  as 
to  place  them  in  the  mentally  defective  group  there  still  remain  three  types 
of  children  who  should  receive  particular  attention,  namely,  those  known  as 
border  line,  backward,  and  restoration  pupils.  The  border  line  children  are 
those  above,  but  not  far  above,  the  feeble-minded.  They  are  not  able  to  work 
with  normal  children,  but  their  mentality  is  not  sufficiently  low  to  justify 
the  school  authorities  in  placing  them  in  a  special  school.  Those  designated 
as  backward  are  between  the  border  line  and  the  normal  in  mentality.  They 
are  children  for  whom  a. special  program  with  plenty  of  manual  work  should 
.be  provided.  The  group  referred  to  as  restoration  pupils  consists  of  children 
of  normal  mentality  who  on  account  of  sickness,  irregular  attendance,  poor 
home  conditions,  etc.,  have  fallen  behind  the  children  of  their  age.  There 
is  hope  that  these  children  will  be  restored  to  the  class  approximating  their 
own  age.  They  should  be  given  individual  help  in  the  subjects  of  the  curri- 
culum in  which  they  show  the  greatest  weakness  and,  at  the  same  time,  be 
permitted  to  do  the  work  of  a  regular  room.  It  often  happens  that  children 
of  this  type  cover  as  much  as  two  years  of  work  in  one  when  afforded  this 
opportunity. 

Many  cities  have  established  ungraded  room.s  to  which  are  sent  the 
three  types  of  children  mentioned  in  the  above  paragraph — rooms  in  which 
is  provided  work  suitably  adapted  to  each  group.  Such  a  room  should  have 
assigned  to  it  a  comparatively  small  number  of  children — not  more  than 
15  or  20 — and  it  should  be  provided  with  work  benches  and  equipment  for 
practical   housework.     With  the  exception  of  work   done  in  the  restoration 

74 


group  it  is  obvious  that  the  ungraded  room  is  not  intended  to  emphasize  the 
work  prescribed  in  tlie  regular  curriculum.  Teachers  in  charge  of  ungraded 
rooms  should  have  special  training  which  will  enable  them,  under  proper 
supervision,  to  know  the  extent  to  which  each  child  is  capable  of  doing  work 
of  an  academic  nature  and  to  what  extent  manual  work  should  predominate. 

(c)   Lowering  the  rate  of  non-promotion 

In  reducing  the  amount  of  over-ageness  it  is  fundamentally  important 
to  reduce  the  amount  of  non-promotion  to  a  minimum.  Table  VII  gives,  by- 
grades,  the  number  of  children  promoted,  the  number  not  promoted,  and  the 
per  cent  of  non-promotion  for  the  term  ending  January  25,  1918.  It  will  be 
observed  that  427,  or  14.57r  of  the  entire  enrollment  failed  of  advancement. 
It  will  be  noted  also  that  the  per  cent  of  non-promotion  varies  from  5.4%  in 
the  first  part  of  grade  VI  to  32%  in  the  first  part  of  grade  I.  It  is  imperative 
that  some  such  study  as  was  undertaken  in  the  following  table  be  repeated 
in  all  the  schools  at  frequent  intervals  by  the  principals  and  teachers  until 
the  causes  of  the  high  rate  of  non-promotion  be  discovered  and,  if  possible, 
eliminated. 

TABLE  VII 
Promotion  and  Non-Promotion. 


Grade 
and  Part 


No.  in  Class  at 
End  of  Month 


No.  Not 

Per  Cent  Not 

No.  Promoted 

Promoted 

Promoted 

220 

104 

32.0 

138 

17 

10.9 

243 

44 

15.3 

139 

18 

11.4 

259 

26 

9.1 

127 

24 

15.8 

201 

43 

17.4 

164 

22 

11.8 

213 

19 

8.1 

95 

23 

19.4 

190 

11 

5.4 

72 

12 

14.2 

169 

28 

14.2 

72 

.  8 

10.0 

136 

19 

12.2 

61 

9 

12.8 

I.— 1 

I.— 2 
II.— 1 
II.— 2 
III.— 1 
III.— 2 
IV.— 1 
IV.— 2 

v.— 1 

v.— 2 
VI.— 1 

VI.— 2 
VII.— 1 
VII.— 2 
VIII.— 1 
VIII.— 2 


324 
155 
287 
157 
285 
151 
247 
186 
232 
118 
201 

84 
197 

80 
155 

70 


Total 2929 


2502 


427 


14.5 


4.     Summary  of  Recommendations 

(a)  That  frequent  studies  be  made  through  the  central  office  of  the 
age-grade  distribution  of  pupils  in  each  of  the  schools  in  the  city  with  a  view 
to  determining  exactly  the  number  of  accelerated,  normal,  and  retarded 
children. 

(b)  That  some  form  of  cumulative  record  card  showing  the  entire 
school  history  of  the  child  be  adopted  at  once  in  order  that  the  number  of 
children  making  rapid,  normal,  and  slow  progress  may  be  determined  at  any 
time. 

(c)  That  at  least  one  special  school  be  established  for  the  training  of 
those  children  who,  upon  expert  examination,  may  be  found  to  be  feeble- 
minded. 

(d)  That  ungraded  rooms  be  established  In  various  schools  for  the 
purpose  of  providing  special  courses  of  instruction  for  those  children  unable 
to  pursue  with  profit  the  work  prescribed  in  the  regular  curriculum  and  for 
giving  Individual  instruction  to  those  retarded  children  who  give  promise 
of  making  up  lost  time. 

(e)  That  frequent  studies  be  made  through  the  central  office  of  the 
rate  of  promotion  in  each  of  the  schools  and  in  each  of  the  grades  to  the 
end  that  there  may  be  uniformity  of  standards  in  the  several  schools  and  in 
the  several  grades  and  that  the  present  high  rate  of  non-promotion  may  be 
reduced. 


75 


FINANCES  OF  THE  ALTON   PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

by 
F.   L.  Wiley 

Secretary  to  the  Superintendent  of  Instruction 
St.  Louis 


Alton  spent  $145,100.77  on  its  public  schools  during  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1917.  The  expenditures  for  several  preceding  years  had  been,  in 
1916,  $137,840.46,  in  1915,  $130,877.12,  and  in  1914,  $100,091.58.  Without  ques- 
tion the  current  and  future  years  will  see  further  increases  in  the  total  dis- 
bursements of  public  school  funds. 

The  responsibility  for  the  wise  use  of  such  a  large  amount  of  public 
money  is  great  and  the  problems  which  confront  the  Board  of  Education  in 
the  discharge  of  this  responsibility  are  many.  There  are  two  questions  of 
primary  importance,  however,  which  should  be  applied  to  the  finances  of  the 
school  system,  and  the  answers  to  these  should  be  serviceable  in  financing  the 
progressive  development  of  the  schools  in  accordance  with  thoughtful  plan- 
ning. 

The  first  of  these  inquiries  is, — Are  expenditures  properly  distributed 
among  the  several  objects  or  purposes?  This  question  has  many  subdivisons 
among  which  may  be  distinguished  the  following  having  most  significance: 

First.  Do  the  expenditures  for  adtninistration,  supervision,  instruc- 
tion, operation  and  maintenance  of  plant,  and  for  outlays,  indicate  that  these 
different  functions  are  thoughtfully  considered  in  relation  to  each  other  and 
to  the  sole  purpose  of  all  of  them, — namely,  the  provision  of  the  best  means 
of  education  of  the  children  with  the  funds  available? 

Second.  Is  the  cost  of  educating  children  in  the  elementary  schools 
rightly  proportioned  to  the  cost  of  instruction  of  those  in  the  high  school? 

Third.  Are  the  various  school  plants  of  different  size  and  construction 
equally  economical  in  the  cost  of  their  operation  and  upkeep? 

To  answer  these  questions  it  is  evident  that  the  exact  cost  of  the 
schools  must  be  known  according  to  the  various  classifications  suggested  in 
the  questions.  In  addition  there  must  be  some  standards  by  which  the 
adequacy  of  these  classified  expenditures  may  be  judged.  Such  standards  are 
to  be  set  up  from  a  comparison  of  the  prevailing  practices  in  other  cities. 

Unfortunately  not  enough  information  is  obtainable  for  either  of  these 
purposes  to  enable  one  to  evaluate  satisfactorily  the  financial  operations 
from  these  three  points  of  view.  In  discussing  these  problems  later  the  in- 
adequacy of  the  Alton  financial  records  and  reports  will  be  pointed  out.  The 
impossibility  of  getting  full  data  from  other  cities  comparable  in  essential 
respects  to  Alton  is  probably  due  to  a  similar  incompleteness  in  the  records 
and  reports  of  their  school  finances.  The  best  source  of  such  comparative 
data,  the  report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education,  does  not 
supply  sufficient  Information  from  enough  cities  of  the  size  of  Alton  to  work 
out  trustworthy  averages  of  their  practices.  However,  standards  for  com- 
parison in  cities  of  from  two  to  three  times  the  size  of  Alton,  which  will 
be  of  some  value  in  studying  Alton  expenditures,  are  ready  at  hand  in  the 
Survey  of  the  Springfield,  Illinois,  schools.  Reference  will  later  be  made 
to  these.  In  addition  there  will  be  some  interest  and  worth  in  looking  at 
Alton  costs  in  the  light  of  school  costs  for  the  largest  cities  of  the  country 
and  occasional  reference  will  therefore  be  made  to  data  in  the  Survey  of  the 
St.  Louis  Public  Schools.  Norms  of  expenditure  in  the  larger  cities  with 
their  highly  complex  school  systems  should  not,  however,  be  applied  too 
closely  in  criticising  the  distribution  of  costs  in  a  less  highly  organized 
system. 

No  matter  how  fully  one  might  be  able  to  judge  the  relative  cost  of 
the  different  parts  of  the  Alton  school  system  and  of  the  different  kinds  of 
work  carried  on,  the  problem  of  financing  the  schools  would  involve  another 
question  which  is  the  second  of  the  fundamental  inquiries  referred  to  in  the 
beginning, — Does  Alton  support  its  public  schools  properly  in  proportion  to 
its  ability?  The  answer  to  this  question  is  difficult,  as  are  the  answers  to 
the  first  set  of  questions,  because  there  is  the  same  lack  of  comparable  data 
from  other  cities  by  which  one  might  draw  satisfactory  conclusions. 

76 


I.      How  Does  Alton  Spend   Its  School   Money? 

To  answer  properly  the  three  questions  previously  asked  under  this 
inquiry, — namely,  the  distribution  of  expenditures  for  outlays  and  for  the 
functions  of  overhead  control,  instruction,  etc.,  the  relative  emphasis  on 
elementary  and  on  secondary  schools,  and  the  relative  economy  of  large  and 
small  school  units, — it  is  necessary  that  the  data  of  the  financial  records  and 
reports  should  be  adequately  differentiated  and  classified  to  meet  at  least  the 
following  conditions: 

(1)  The  grouping  of  payments  should  conform  to  the  classifications 
called  for  on  the  report  to  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education.  A  copy 
of  the  blank  for  this  report  is  attached  herewith.  The  classes  of  expenses 
which  it  calls  for  are: 

I.  Expenses  (cost  of  conducting  the  school  system) 

(a)  General  Control    (overhead  charges) 

(b)  Instruction 

(c)  Operation    of   Plant 

(d)  Maintenance  of  School  Plant 

(e)  Auxiliary  Agencies 

II.  Outlays   (capital  acquisition  and  construction) 

III.  'Other   Payments,   such   as   redemption   of  bonds   and   pay- 
ments of  interest. 

(2)  The  payments  for  all  expenses,  except  for  overhead  control,  should 
be  differentiated  by  the  class  of  school  which  receives  the  benefit  of  the  ex- 
penditure. In  actual  practice  this  will  involve  charging  all  such  expenses 
up  to  the  individual  schools,  and  later  grouping  these  schools  as  elementary 
and  as  secondary  for  purposes  of  reporting. 

(3)  Unit  costs  showing  the  expense  per  pupil,  the  expense  per  school 
plant  and  expense  per  school  room  should  parallel  the  statements  of  total 
cost. 

To  show  how  fully  in  some  respects  and  how  incompletely  in  others  the 
available  data  in  the  Alton  school  records  and  reports  meet  these  conditions, 
the  last  annual  report  of  the  Treasurer,  June  30,  1917,  has  been  rearranged 
to  show  the  payments  according  to  the  United  States  Bureau  classifications. 
The  spaces  not  filled  with  data  or  x's  but  containing  question  marks  indicate 
what  is  lacking  in  the  report  to  meet  the  conditions  set  forth  above.  The 
Treasurer's  abstract  of  cash  payments  and  the  Secretary's  ledger  give  no 
fuller  information  than  this  annual  report.  The  data  on  attendance  of  pupils 
is  taken  from  the  annual  report  of  the  Superintendent.  Figures  in  paren- 
theses are  not  given  in  the  Treasurer's  report,  but  have  been  supplied  by 
computation. 

Total  All  High     Elementary 

Schools  Schools      Schools 

Average  daily  attendance  for  the  year....  3,154  459  2,695 

I.     EXPENSES 

Expense  of  General  Control 

Business  office  $  485.00  xxx  xxx 

Treasurer's  salary   400.00  xxx  xxx 

Superintendent's  salary  2,950.00  xxx  xxx 

Compulsory  attendance 760.00  xxx  xxx 

Total  for  General  Control ($     4,595.00) 

Per  pupil  cost (  1.46) 

Expenses  of  Instruction 

Teachers  (salaries)  $  78,750.54  ?        •  ? 

Text  books,  stationery,  supplies 3,290.58  ?  ? 

Total  for  instruction ($  82,041.12)  ?  ? 

Per    pupil    cost (  26.01)  ?  ? 

Expenses  of  Operation  of  School  Plant 

Janitors,    engineers,    etc $     9,778.02  ?  ? 

Fuel,  light,  janitor's  supplies,  etc 3,668.60  ?  ? 

Total  for  operation ($  13,446.62)  ?  ? 

Per  pupil  cost (        '     4.26)  ?  ? 

77 


Expenses  of  Maintenanre  of  School  Plant 

Repairs,  replacements  $  4.101.66                  ?                  ? 

Per  pupil  cost  ($1.30)                ?                 ? 

Expenses  of  Auxiliary  Agencies 

Libraries  $  53.25                  ?                  ? 

Promotion   of  health 675.00              xxx            xxx 

Total  for  Auxiliary  Agencies ($  728.25) 

Miscellaneous  Expenses 

Teachers'   pension   fund $  540.00              xxx            xxx 

II.     OUTLAYS 

New  grounds,  building  and  alteration  $  29,078.89                  ?                  ? 

New  equipment  2,784.54                  ?                  ? 


Total    outlays   ($  31,863.43)  ? 


9 


III.     OTHER  PAYMENTS 

District  bonds  $     4,600.00  xxx  xxx 

Warrants  outstanding  fiscal  year  end- 
ing June  30,  1916 948.61  xxx  xxx 

Interest  on  bonds 1,152.00  xxx  xxx 

Refund  County  Treasurer  on  account 

of  overpayment  78.05  xxx  xxx 

Interest  on  teachers'  warrants 178.93  xxx  xxx 

Total  other  payments....; (.$     6,957.59)  xxx  xxx 

GRAND    TOTAL,    payments   for    all 

purposes ($144,273.67)  xxx  xxx 

(The  sum  of  all  these  items  of  disbursement  as  given  in  the  Treasurer's 
report  is  $145,100.77,  indicating  an  error  in  computation  or  an  omission  of 
some  item  or  items  of  expenditure.) 

In  addition  to  giving  expenditures  as  thus  classified  the  financial  rec- 
ords should  show  the  distribution  of  expenses  for  instruction,  for  operation 
of  plant,  and  for  maintenance  of  plant  by  the  individual  schools.  Thus, 
"Fuel,  light,  janitors'  supplies,  etc.",  should  not  only  show  the  total  for 
elementary  schools,  but  also  the  total  for  the  Lincoln  School,  the  Humboldt, 
etc.  It  would  not  be  at  all  difficult  for  the  Treasurer's  abstract  of  expendi- 
tures, which  is  now  kept  on  the  uniform  record  blanks  supplied  by  the  State, 
to  show  this  distribution  if  (a)  all  warrants  drawn  by  the  Secretary  showed 
on  their  face  the  nature  and  the  object  of  the  expenditure  or  were  accom- 
panied by  bills  or  memoranda  showing  such  distribution,  (b)  the  Treasurer 
would  use  a  separate  sheet  of  the  State  forms  for  each  school  thus  providing 
individual  school  accounts  in  which  the  distribution  shown  in  vouchers  or 
accompanying  bills  or  memoranda  could  be  entered. 

With  the  information  given  in  the  last  annual  report  of  the  Treasurer, 
how  far  may  the  questions  of  distribution  of  expenditures  be  answered? 

A.     For  Different  Objects  of  Expenditure,  i.  e.,  Outlays,  Instruction,  etc. 

Outlays.  Of  the  $145,100.77  expended  for  all  objects  in  the  year  ending 
June  30,  1917,  $31,863.43  was  for  outlays,  and  $104,912.65  for  items  which  are 
properly  classified  as  the  expenses  of  administration,  supervision,  instruction, 
operation  and  maintenance  of  buildings.  The  annual  expenditure  for  outlays 
has  varied  much  in  the  past  few  years:  1914,  $1,001.34;  1915,  $21,240.79; 
1916,  $24,367.01.  On  the  average  what  proportion  of  the  cost  of  the  schools 
should  be  devoted  to  sites,  new  buildings  and  equipment?  It  would  be  of 
value  in  considering  the  questions  of  providing  additional  accommodations  to 
have  in  mind  some  normal  division  of  the  school  funds  for  outlays  and  for 
current  expenses.  Unfortunately  the  school  surveys  which  have  been  made 
have  provided  practically  no  comparative  data  on  this  particular  phase  of 
school  finances.  In  St.  Louis  in  1914-15  of  the  total  expenditures  for  outlays 
and  for  current  expenses  15  per  cent  was  for  outlays  but  this  represented  a 
gradual  reduction  from  35  per  cent  for  outlays  in  the  year  1908-9,  when  the 
largest  expenditures  for  new  buildings  in  St.  Louis  was  ever  made.  It  should 
be  noted  that  last  year  Alton  devoted  23  per  cent  of  the  payments  for  outlays 
and  current  expenses  to  outlays  and  77  per  cent  to  current  expenses.  The 
legal  limits  on  local  taxation  would  permit  expenditures  for  buildings  equal 

78 


almost  to  50  per  cent  of  the  total  cost  of  the  schools,  but  such  a  ratio  could 
not  be  maintained  lor  any  length  of  time  without  serious  curtailment  if 
educational  opportunities  in  the  very  buildings  for  which  the  large  "building" 
expenditures  would  be  made.  A  wise  balance  in  the  provision  of  suitable 
houses  and  competent  teachers  must  be  maintained.  By  this  is  meant  that  a 
school  building  program  to  care  for  a  growing  school  population  should  not 
be  allowed  to  lag  behind  with  the  result  that  later  large  sums  must  be  put 
into  buildings  to  the  restriction,  at  least  temporary,  of  the  educational  func- 
tions of  the  school  system. 

Administration,  Supervision  and  Instruction,  Operation  of  Plant,  Main- 
tenance of  Plant.  In  evaluating  expenditures  for  these  different  purposes 
it  would  be  exceedingly  helpful  if  comparable  data  from  other  school  systems 
of  approximately  equal  complexity  were  obtainable.  One  must  resort,  how- 
ever, to  the  less  valuable  measuring  rod  of  similar  expenditures  in  much 
larger  school  systems. 

The  per  pupil  cost  for  all  overhead  control  in  Alton  was  $1.46  for  the 
year  1916-17,  although  an  inspection  of  the  items  listed  as  such  overhead 
expense  and  given  above  in  the  reclassification  of  the  Treasurer's  annual 
report  would  indicate  that  the  salary  of  the  Superintendent  of  School  Build- 
ings had  been  omitted  from  this  class  of  expense,  in  which  it  belongs.  By 
including  the  salary  of  this  oificial,  the  per  pupil  cost  would  have  been  in- 
creased about  $0.30.  The  St.  Louis  Survey  gives  the  average  per  pupil 
cost  for  administratation  in  the  21  largest  cities  of  the  country  as  $2.02. 
One  may  not  safely  draw  any  conclusion  from  this  comparison,  however, 
because  some  aspects  of  a  larger  and  more  complex  system  involve  relatively 
greater  overhead  expense,  while  other  aspects  bring  a  large  economy  in  the 
cost  of  administration.  It  would  seem  that  Alton  is  not  spending  an  un- 
usually large  amount  on  its  administrative  offices.  The  per  pupil  cost  of  this 
function  for  St.  Louis  in  1915  was  $3.63. 

In  the  expense  of  instruction,  including  supervision,  the  per  pupil  cost 
for  last  year  is  shown  by  the  preceding  table  to  have  been  $26.01.  Here  again 
we  should  like  the  guidance  of  a  comparison  with. other  cities  of  approximately 
Alton's  size,  but  adequate  data  are  not  obtainable.  The  average  for  the  21 
largest  cities  of  the  country  was  $38.83  for  1915.  Despite  all  the  advantages 
of  greater  wealth  in  these  cities  it  would  seem  that  the  per  pupil  cost  of 
instruction  in  Alton  is  relatively  low. 

The  cost  of  operation  of  school  plant  was  $4.26  per  pupil,  although  this 
is  probably  about  $0.30  too  much  because  of  the  assumed  inclusion  of  the 
salary  of  the  Superintendent  of  School  Buildings  which  should  have  been 
included  in  administration  expense.  The  average  of  operation  cost  in  the  21 
largest  cities  in  1915  was  $5.27  per  pupil.  In  considering  this  class  of 
expenditures  some  aid  is  to  be  had  from  the  Springfield,  Illinois,  Survey.  In 
eleven  cities  varying  population  from  about  45,000  to  65,000  the  average  per 
pupil  cost  of  janitors'  salaries  was  $2.88,  of  fuel,  $1.52  and  of  water  and  light, 
$0.42, — total  for  chief  items  of  operation  cost,  $4.72.  Here  again  we  may 
conclude  that  on  the  average  the  cost  of  operating  Alton's  school  plant  is 
relatively  low. 

For  maintenance  of  buildings  last  year  $1.30  per  pupil  was  spent.  For 
the  eleven  cities  compared  in  the  Springfield  Survey  the  per  pupil  cost  of 
maintenance  was  found  to  be  $2.39;  for  the  21  largest  cities  of  the  country 
the  St.  Louis  Survey  gives  the  per  pupil  cost  as  $2.48.  And  thus  again  we 
find  that  Alton  seems  to  be  low  in  another  class  of  school  costs. 

The  tentative  conclusions  which  may  therefore  be  drawn  as  to  expendi- 
tures for  different  objects  are: 

First.  The  present  cost  of  outlays  absorbs  as  large  a  proportion  of 
the  available  funds  as  should  be  permitted,  and  should  probably  be  reduced 
if  funds  are  not  found  for  increasing  the  proportion  of  expenditures  for  other 
objects. 

Second.  Overhead  costs  are  not  excessive  but  are  relatively  about  as 
high  as  they  should  be. 

Third.  For  the  strictly  educational  functions  the  expenditures  are 
relatively  somewhat  less  than  for  other  objects. 

Fourth.  In  the  cost  of  operating  and  maintaining  the  school  plant 
there  are  no   disproportionately  large  or  small   expenditures. 

B.     Relative  Cost  of  Elementary  and  Hirjh  ScJwol  Instruction. 

When  we  come  to  study  this  important  question  the  inadequacy  of  past 
records  and  reports  makes  it  impossible  to  proceed.  The  data  of  the  Treas- 
urer's annual  report  explain  this.     From  a  statement  of  the  salaries  paid 

79 


teachers  and  janitors  for  the  current  year,  however,  these  two  chief  items 
of  cost  can  be  distributed  to  the  two  classes  of  schools,  and  per  pupil  costs 
computed  froin  them. 

Teachers'  and  Janitors'  Salaries  for  Current  Year. 

Total  All  High  Elementary 

Schools  Schools  Schools 
Average  daily  attendance  for  month 

ending  Jan.  25,  1918 2812  375  2437 

Total   salaries   of  teachers    (includ- 
ing  principals)    |89,210  $24,683  $64,527 

Per  pupil  cost  of  teachers'  salaries..  $31.72  $65.82  $26.47 

Total  janitors'  salaries $  8,800  $  1,200  $  7,600 

Per  pupil  cost  of  janitors'  salaries..     $3.13  $3.20  $3.12 
Total  salaries  of  teachers  and  jani- 
tors     $98,010  $25,883  $72,127 

Per  pupil  cost  $34.85  $69.02  $29.59 

(The  salaries  of  the  principal  and  janitor  of  the  Horace  Mann  School 
were  pro-rated  to  the  high  school  and  elementary  school  departments  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  rooms.  The  salaries  of  music  and  drawing  supervisors 
were  pro-rated  to  elementary  and  high  schools  on  the  basis  of  average  daily 
attendance.) 

This  table  shows  that  the  per  pupil  cost  of  salaries  for  the  current  year 
will  be  in  excess  of  the  total  cost  of  instruction  for  last  year  as  computed 
from  the  Treasurer's  Annual  Report.  This  is  due  to  two  factors,  first  the 
higher  salaries  paid  this  year,  and  second  the  smaller  attendance  of  pupils. 

It  is  quite  out  of  the  question  to  compare  with  justice  these  per  pupil 
costs  with  similar  classes  of  expenditures  in  other  systems  for  preceding 
years.  The  advances  in  salaries  almost  everywhere  and  the  variations  in  the 
number  of  pupils  enrolled  make  inter-city  comparisons  at  present  quite  un- 
reliable. 

It  may  be  noted,  however,  that  this  year  the  high  school  pupils  in  Alton 
with  an  average  cost  of  $65.82  for  teachers'  salaries  are  receiving  two  and 
one-half  times  the  expenditure  that  the  grade  pupils  are  receiving  for  their 
Instruction.  This  is  not  a  disproportionate  distribution  when  considered  in 
the  light  of  normal  expenditures  in  other  cities  in  the  past.  In  the  Spring- 
field Survey  the  cities  compared  varied  in  the  ratio  of  high  school  costs  to 
elementary  school  costs  from  2  to  1,  to  3  to  1.  In  the  St.  Louis  Survey  the 
cost  of  high  schools  for  the  21  largest  cities  was  found  on  the  average  to  be 
about  two  and  one-third  times  the  cost  of  elementary  schools,  measured  by 
the  unit  of  per  pupil  cost.  We  may  therefore  conclude  that  in  the  matter  of 
teachers'  salaries  the  elementary  schools  and  the  high  school  are  pretty  well 
proportioned,  when  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  the  average  cost  for  each 
pupil. 

C.     Cost  of  Different  Units  of  ScJwol  Plant  ■,. 

It  would  be  very  desirable  to  know  just  how  much  it  costs  to  operate 
and  maintain  the  different  school  buildings.  It  is  believed  that  interesting 
facts  might  be  discerned  relative  to  the  costs  of  small  plants  and  of  larger 
ones.  As  previously  stated,  however,  the  costs  of  fuel  and  other  operating 
supplies  and  salaries  are  not  now  distributed  in  the  financial  records  to  the 
several  school  buildings. 

II.     Does  Alton   Support   Its  Public  Schools  in   Proportion  to   Its  Ability? 

The  ability  of  a  city  to  maintain  schools,  as  well  as  other  departments 
of  municipal  government,  is  generally  measured  by  its  wealth  as  computed 
from  its  assessment  for  taxes.  The  present  assessment  of  Alton  is  $4,770,849. 
As  this  is  commonly  accepted  as  one-third  the  real  value  of  the  property 
assessed,  we  may  estimate  the  total  actual  wealth  of  the  city  to  be  $14,312,547. 
The  total  population  of  the  city  according  to  the  school  census  of  1916  was 
26,048.  Taking  this  as  the  present  population,  the  average  wealth  per  inhabi- 
tant is  found  to  be  $549.46. 

How  does  Alton  compare  with  other  cities  in  per  capita  wealth  and 
consequently  in  ability  to  support  schools?  Of  the  cities  studied  in  the 
Springfield  Survey  it  will  be  worth  while  to  compare  Alton's  per  capita 
wealth  with  that  of  East  St.  Louis,  $690.00:  Springfield,  $948.00;  Canton, 
Ohio,  $1,119.00;  South  Bend,  Indiana,  $1,153.00;  and  Rockford,  $1,194.00.  Of 
the  21  largest  cities  of  the  country  reported  in  the  St.  Louis  Survey  all  but 
six  have  a  per  capita  wealth  of  over  $1,200.00.     Therefore,  so  far  as  wealth 

80 


is  concerned,  Alton  should  hardly  be  expected  to  spend  as  much  per  inhabitant 
on  its  schools  as  the  above  cities. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  Alton  exceeds  what  might  be  expected 
from  this  comparison  of  per  capita  wealth.  .i;i05,452.65  of  the  total  cost  for 
1916-17  represents  the  current  expenses  and  this  divided  by  the  total  popula- 
tion, 26,048,  gives  a  per  capita  cost  of  $4.05.  Compare  this  now  with  the  per 
capita  cost  of  expenses  for  East  St.  Louis,  $3.56;  South  Bend,  Indiana,  $3.85; 
Canton,  Ohio,  $4.19;  Rockford,  $4.63;  and  Springfield,  $4.63;  and  the  average 
per  capita  expenditure  (for  all  purposes)  in  the  21  largest  cities  of  the 
country,  $8.49.  While  these  data  are  very  meagre,  the  inference  to  be  tenta- 
tively drawn  from  them  is  that  in  proportion  to  her  ability  Alton  supports  her 
schools  well. 

The  truth  of  this  conclusion  would,  however,  be  denied  if  the  present 
assessment  of  property  should  be  found  not  fully  to  represent  one-third  of 
the  actual  valuation  of  all  wealth  in  the  city.  Some  popular  comment  sug- 
gests that  this  may  be  the  case.  Moreover,  since  per  capita  wealth  increases 
in  general  very  closely  with  increases  in  population,  it  is  not  very  satisfactory 
to  compare  Alton's  wealth,  and  consequent  capacity  to  pay  for  education,  with 
cities  of  the  size  of  Springfield  and  East  St.  Louis. 

Still  a  further  caution  must  be  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  above 
conclusion  that  Alton  is  discharging  her  financial  obligation  to  public  educa- 
tion adequately.  It  is  this, — that  the  determination  of  what  a  city  ought 
to  do  for  the  education  of  its  children  rests  on  many  other  important  factors 
than  its  wealth.  The  most  urgent  princicple  of  action  should  be  its  educa- 
tional needs, — both  in  number  of  children  to  be  educated  and  in  the  char- 
acter of  education  which  the  children  should  have.  With  this  standard  of 
need  must  be  placed  the  ideals  of  service  for  its  children  which  a  community 
holds.  Both  of  these  should  ever  be  more  influential  in  determining  what 
efforts,  even  sacrifices,  a  city  will  make  for  education  than  a  satisfying  knowl- 
edge that  other  cities  may  be  doing  less  in  proportion  to  their  financial 
capacity. 

All  of  these  considerations  of  what  Alton  ought  to  do  in  the  matter  of 
supporting  education  are  valuable  in  shaping  the  popular  and  the  official 
attitude  towards  school  expenditures.  It  is  recognized,  however,  that  the 
more  practical  question,  when  increased  costs  loom  on  the  horizon,  is,  How 
shall  additional  money  be  obtained?  As  the  income  of  a  school  system  ap- 
proaches its  legal  maximum  this  question  assumes  dominating  importance. 
Alton  is  already  familiar  with  the  problems  of  this  situation.  Compare  the 
maximum  local  revenues  permitted  under  the  law  with  the  increasing 
requests  for  tax  levies  and  actual  expenditures  of  the  school  system: 

1914-15         1915-16         1916-17         1917-18         1918-19 

Assessment  on  which 
estimates  of  maxi- 
mum levy  are 
based    .'. $4,440,000     $4,526,134     $4,701,655     $4,582,504     $4,770,849 

Legal  maximum  for 
"building"  11/2% 
(same  for  "educa- 
tional"    purposes).. 

Amount  requested  for 
"buildings"     

Amount  requested  for 
"educational"  pur 
poses    

Estimated  income 
from  other  sources.. 

Total  estimated  in- 
come     $    124,150     $    126,181     $    139,318     $    163,263 

Actual  receipts  for 
the  year  116,206  126,392  126,113  ? 

Total        expenditures 

for    the    year 130,877  137,840  145.100        *180,290 

Cash   balance   at   end 

of  year  $      58,235     $      46,787     $      28,626  ? 


66,600 

67,891 

70,524 

68,737 

71,562 

42,200 

39,481 

47,738 

68,263 

67,800 

70,519 

72,262 

68,737 

14,150 

16,181 

19,318 

26,263 

♦Estimated, 


81 


The  growing  difficulty  of  the  financial  situation  is  quite  well  revealed  in 
these  figures.  The  annual  expenditures  have  each  year  since  1914-15  ex- 
ceeded the  actual  as  well  as  the  estimated  income  for  the  year,  with  the 
result  that  a  cash  balance  on  June  30,  1915,  was  reduced  to  $28,626.00  by 
June  30,  1917.  The  estimated  income  for  the  current  year  as  given  by  the 
Finance  Committee  is  $163,263.00,  and  the  estimated  expenses  $180,290.00. 
If  these  estimates  are  verified  the  cash  balance  June  30,  1918,  will  be  so 
greatly  reduced  that  the  problem  of  financing  the  schools  for  at  least  the  first 
half  of  the  ensuing  school  year  will  be  a  very  perplexing  problem. 

Even  greater  difficulties,  however,  lie  ahead  of  the  immediate  future. 
First,  the  necessary  practice  of  using  "building  funds"  for  "educational" 
purposes, — of  doubtful  legality, — has  grown  until  almost  the  legal  maximum 
levy  for  "building"  purposes  is  now  required,  and  the  pract.ice  cannot  be 
abandoned  without  curtailing  expenditures  for  "educational"  purposes  so 
materially  as  to  be  a  calamity  to  the  schools.  Second,  the  legal  limit  for 
both  building  and  educational  purposes  has  practically  been  reached.  As  a 
result  sources  of  additional  revenue  for  the  schools  seem  to  be  closed. 

Under  the  existing  statutes  there  appears  to  be  no  solution  to  the 
problem  of  securing  greater  total  revenue  except  to  increase  the  assessment 
of  taxable  property.  As  for  the  practice  of  diverting  part  of  the  "building" 
fund  to  "educational"  purposes,  it  is  probable  that  two  of  the  statutes  enacted 
in  1915  offer  some  relief.  An  act  approved  May  20,  1915,  (see  School  Laws  of 
Illinois  as  amended  by  the  Forty-ninth  General  Assembly,  issued  by  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  as  Circular  No.  93,  1916,  page  79), 
makes  the  legal  limits  for  school  levies  in  Alton  to  be  those  of  the  general 
school  laws  of  the  State,  and  the  latter,  as  amended  May  27,  1915  (see  page 
57  of  School  Laws),  provide  that  the  school  district  may  by  popular  vote 
determine  that  the  levy  for  "educational"  purposes  may  be  increased  from 
one  and  one-half  per  cent  of  the  assessed  valuation  to  two  per  cent,  providing 
the  total  levy  for  both  "building"  and  "educational"  purposes  does  not  exceed 
three  per  cent.  When  this  ratio  has  once  been  approved  by  popular  election 
it  stands  without  further  authorization  until  changed  by  popular  vote. 

The  application  of  these  acts  should  be  investigated  and  if  it  is  found 
that  Alton  comes  under  them,  the  Board  of  Education  should  lose  no  time  in 
legalizing  its  present  necessary  action  in  using  "building"  funds  for  current 
expenses  by  submitting  the  matter  to  popular  election. 


J 


Recommendations 


1.  Financial  records  should  show  specifically  the  nature  and  object  of 
all  expenditures,  Avith  distribution  to  each  school  center. 

2.  Financial  reports  should  show  at  least  the  classifications  and  sub- 
divisions called  for  on  annual  fiscal  report  to  the  United  States  Bureau  of 
Education. 

3.  In  the  distribution  of  expenditures  there  should  be  no  relative 
increase  in  the  cost  of  outlays  and  of  administrative  services. 

4.  Instructional  expenses  should  be  relatively  increased. 

5.  High  school  and  elementary  school  costs  are  well  balanced  in  rela- 
tion to  each  other. 

6.  The  costs  of  maintenance  and  operation  of  the  school  buildings 
should  be  studied  by  individual  plants,  when  the  records  and  reports  admit 
of  it. 

7.  The  relation  of  the  present  assessment  of  property  should  be  studied 
T^       in  Its  relation  to  actual  values,  with  the  object  of  securing  increased  levies 

'^^J    -1-^     for  school  funds. 

"X;     a!  ^'  '^^^  niore  recent  state  legislation  should  be  investigated  to  see  if 

^•^  an   Increased   proportion  of   the   present  maximum   levy   cannot  be   legally 

applied  to  "educational"  purposes. 


82 


REPORT  OF  SPECIAL  SURVEY  COMMITTEE. 

The  purpose  ol"  this  report  is  to  form  a  basis  of  discussion  for  the 
entire  body  in  session.  We  are  suggesting  what  seems  to  us  to  be  necessary 
and  feasible  recommendations  as  obtained  from  the  survey. 

We  are  not  presuming  to  dictate  to  the  Board  that  these  are  the  only 
recommendations  or  plans  of  action  possible  under  the  survey  or  that  all  of 
these  can  be  adopted  at  this  time.  A  survey's  finding  is  not  worth  much 
that  could  be  carried  out  at  once,  it  furnishes  rather  a  goal  toward  which 
we  can  strive,  an  ideal  that  we  can  pursue. 

Your  committee  desires  to  recommend  for  your  consideration  and 
attention  the  following: 

1.  That  there  be  an  office  created  called  the  Commissioner  of  Supplies 
filled  by  a  bonded  officer  whose  duties  shall  be  that  of  purchasing  agent  for 
the  Board.     He  shall  also  serve  in  the  capacity  of  Assistant  Secretary  of 

the  Board  of  Education.     All  requisitions   for  supplies   of  whatever  nature  , 

now  handled  by  the  Building  Committee,  Supplies  Committee,  Library  and  / 

Apparatus  Committee  and  Superintendent  of  Schools  shall  pass  through  his  ^ 

hand  and  be  purchased  by  him  when  so  ordered  by  the  Board,  and  a  strict 
and  accurate  record  be  kept  of  the  disposition  of  all  supplies.  Under  this  ' 
plan  it  should  be  possible  to  have  economic  purchasing,  lack  of  duplication 
and  a  constant  record  of  supplies  on  hand,  and  an  even  distribution  of  cost 
among  the  different  buildings.  (See  First  Paragraph,  Page  3.  Last  Para- 
graph, Page  28.) 

N.B. — This  position  was  filled  by  the  Board,  May  15th,  1918. 

2.  To  enlarge  the  duties  and  responsibilities  under  the  rules  of  the 
Superintendent   of   Buildings,    making   the    Superintendent   of   Buildings    an    *-_ 
executive  officer  of  the  Board,  being  responsible  for  the  selection  and  con- 
duct of  janitors,  and  carrying  out  the  plans  of  the  Building  Committee. 

N.  B. — See  Resolution  adopted  by  the  Board,  May  15th,  1918. 

3.  That  the  Department  of  Hygiene  be  put  under  the  responsible 
direction  of  the  Superintendent   of   Schools. 

N.  B. — See  Resolution  adopted  by  the  Board,  May  15th,  1918. 

4.  That  this  Board  pledges  itself  to  the  development  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Hygiene  into  a  department  that  fulfills  the  requirements  laid  down 
under  Observation  No.  1.    Page  7. 

5.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  to 
establish  at  once  a  cumulative  record  card  for  each  pupil  in  the  Alton 
schools,  showing  attendance  and  progress.  Such  record  to  be  accessible 
to  those  who  have  the  right  to  know  the  contents. 

6.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  to  establish 
at  once  a  permanent,  careful,  adequate  record  of  the  efl3ciency  of  the  indi- 
vidual teacher,  showing  length  of  service,  attendance,  punctuality,  faithful- 
ness in  the  performance  of  routine  duties,  ability  in  instruction  and  teaching 
skill,  and  professional  skill.  Such  record  to  be  the  basis  of  promotion,  or  for 
dismissal. 

7.  That  this  Board  pledges  itself  to  the  belief  that  as  soon  as  possible 
plans  be  made  for  the  improvement  of  the  supervision  of  the  various  build- 
ings in  our  public  school  system,  making  it  possible  that  a  principal,  with 
practically  no  teaching  duties,  be  furnished  each  building  of  five  or  more 
rooms. 

N.  B. — Seven  supervising  principals  were  appointed  by  the  Board, 
May  22nd,  1918. 

8.  That  this  Board  pledges  itself  to  the  belief  that  more  special 
supervisors  are  needed  and  that  investigation  will  be  made  at  once  to  fulfill 
that  need. 

9.  That  this  Board  provide  that  with  the  beginning  of  the  next  school 
year,  September,  1918,  there  be  elected  a  principal  of  the  Alton  High  School 
whose  sole  duty  will  be  that  of  supervision. 

N.  B. — A  supervising  High  School  principal  was  appointed  by  the 
Board,  May  22nd,   1918. 

83 


10.  That  tbe  attention  of  the  principal  of  the  High  School  be  directed 
to  the  recommendations  found  under  "Course  of  Study."     (Page  62.) 

11.  That  the  subject  "Community  Civics"  be  made  an  absolute  re- 
quirement lor  every  pupil  in  the  first  year  of  the  High  School  Course  and 
that  the  study  of  United  States  History  be  an  absolute  requirement  in  the 
fourth  year  High  School. 

12.  That  the  High  School  Committee  be  instructed  to  immediately 
investigate  the  feasibility  of  uniting  all  High  School  vi^ork  in  the  City  of 
Alton  in  the  High  School  Building;  that  is  to  discontinue  the  first  two 
years  of  High  School  work  now  being  given  at  Horace  Mann  School. 

N.  B.— This  was  done  by  the  Board,  May  22nd,  1918. 

13.  That  a  new  course  of  study  be  prepared  for  the  Alton  Public 
Schools  by  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools  and  all  teachers  employed 
in  the  Alton  Public  Schools;  that  the  Superintendent  and  all  supervisors 
and  principals  act  as  an  executive  committee  in  guiding  the  planning  and 
formation  of  such  new  course  of  study.  Further,  that  this  Board  declares 
Itself  in  favor  of  vocationalizing  all  studies  whenever  it  is  possible  to  so  do 
and  that  we  adopt  as  our  policy  and  plan  of  action  the  promotion  of  courses 
of  study  emphasizing  the  "development  type"  as  discussed  on  page  26, 
Printed  Survey,  Second  Paragraph.  That  we  expect  from  the  Superintendent 
of  Schools  from  time  to  time  reports  as  to  the  progress  being  made  in  the 
formation  of  a  new  course  of  study. 

14.  That  this  Board  believes  that  the  adoption  of  newer  and  modern 
text  books  is  necessary,  but  that  their  adoption  should  follow  the  installation 
of  a  new  course  of  study,  seeking  the  texts  best  suited  for  the  teaching  of 
the  new  course  of  study.  That  the  Board  adopt  no  text-book  not  approved 
by  a  majority  of  a  committee  consisting  of  the  Superintendent  of  Schools 
and  four  principals  or  supei-visors  selected  by  this  Board. 

15.  That  one  teacher  of  the  two  teaching  manual  arts  be  designated 
as  the  head  of  that  department. 

N.  B. — A  head  of  this  department  was  named  by  the  Board,  May  22nd, 
1918. 

16.  That  one  teacher  of  all  teachers  of  domestic  arts  be  designated  as 
the  head  of  that  department. 

N.  B.— A  head  of  this  department  was  named  by  the  Board,  May  22nd, 
1918. 

17.  That  this  Board  investigate  at  once  the  feasibility  of  having  a 
primary  supervisor. 

18.  That  reports  of  all  supervisors  be  made  in  writing  and  placed  on 
file  in  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  for  reference. 

19.  That  all  supervisors  be  directed  to  assemble  all  teachers  under 
their  charge  a  reasonable  number  of  times  to  discuss  methods  and  demon- 
stration of  class  work,  and  make  a  report  in  writing  to  the  Superintendent 
of  Schools  of  the  transaction  of  such  meetings. 

20.  That  this  Board  immediately  investigate  and  determine  upon  a 
plan  for  the  improvement  of  the  number  and  condition  of  supplementary 
readers  furnished  in  the  different  gi'ades  in  the  different  buildings  of  the 
Alton  Public  Schools.  ' 

21.  That  this  Board  investigates  and  determines  upon  a  plan  of  action 
or  a  creation  of  a  necessary  number  of  ungraded  rooms  to  be  established 
in  the  various  schools  for  the  purpose  of  allowing  more  individual  instruction 
to  those  retarded  children  who  give  promise  of  making  up  lost  time. 

22.  That  this  Board  investigate  and  determine  as  near  as  possible, 
the  number  of  those  children  in  the  Alton  Public  Schools  who  could  be  more 
profitably  handled  in  separate  schools  because  of  their  mental  condition. 

23.  That  the  attention  of  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  be  especially 
directed  to  the  general  subject  of  retardation  of  children  through  the  grades, 
and  that  reports  be  expected  from  him  from  time  to  time  of  his  investigation 
of  the  causes  of  retardation  in  the  Alton  Schools,  and  his  plans  for  lowering 
the  percentage  of  retardation 

84 


24.  That  this  Board  establish  the  rule  that  individual  promotion  may 
be  made  on  approval  of  the  teacher  and  the  principal  of  the  building  which 
the  child  attends. 

25.  That  this  Board  pledges  itself  to  the  installation  as  far  as  possible 
of  departmental  teaching  in  the  higher  grades. 

26.  That  this  Board  keep  through  its  proper  officers  the  cost  and 
maintenance  and  operation  of  each  school  building. 

27.  That  this  Board  pledges  itself  to  a  campaign  of  publicity  for  the 
securing  of  a  real  assessment  of  all  taxable  property  within  our  school 
district. 

28.  That  a  special  committee  be  appointed  to  confer  with  the  City 
Administration  upon  a  proposition  to  include  within  the  corporate  limits  of 
Alton  that  part  of  Sections  7  and  IS  that  is  not  now  in  the  City  Limits,  and 
all  of  fractional  Section  19,  making  the  East  City  limit  line  coincide  with 
the  east  line  of  Sections  7,  18  and  19,  which  sections  are  in  Township  5, 
North  Range  9,  West  of  the  Third  P.  M. 

29.  That    there   be   a   revision   of  the   rules   and   regulations    of  the 
Board  of  Education  to  embody  changes  and  proposals  as  are  accepted  by 
this   Board,   such   revision  to  be   prepared   at   once   and   presented   for  the 
consideration  of  the  Board. 

The  foregoing  Recommendations  were  adopted  by  the  Board,  April 
29th,  1918. 


85 


RESOLUTION  FOR  REORGANIZATION. 

Be  it  Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  of  Alton, 
Illinois,  be  organized  with  four  standing  committees,  as  follows: 

First — Committee  on   Finance  and  Supplies. 

Second — Committee  on  Instruction. 

Third — Committee  on  Buildings  and  Grounds. 

Fourth — Committee  on  Rules. 

And  be  it  further  Resolved,  That  the  composition  and  duties  of  these 
several  committees  be  as  follows: 

First — The  Committee  on  Finance  and  Supplies  shall  consist  of  four 
members,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  audit  all  accounts  which  have  .been 
certified  by  the  committee,  or  persons  contracting  same,  to  estimate  as 
nearly  as  possible  what  the  yearly  expenses  of  the  schools  will  be  basing 
such  estimate  upon  the  proposed  requirements  filed  with  the  chairman  of 
this  committee  by  the  Committee  on  Insti'uction  for  Superintendents',  Prin- 
cipals', Supervisors'  and  Teachers'  salaries  for  the  next  year,  upon  the  list  of 
proposed  expenditures  filed  with  the  chairman  of  this  committee  by  the 
Committee  on  Buildings  and  Grounds,  and  upon  the  pi'oposed  expenditures 
of  the  committee  itself — and  to  report  the  same  with  recommendations  to 
the  Board  at  its  regular  meeting  in  June;  to  recommend  at  the  June  meeting 
a  competent  person  to  fill  the  position  of  Commissioner  of  Supplies;  to  have 
charge  through  the  committee's  executive  officer  (the  Commissioner  of 
Supplies)  of  the  purchasing  and  placing  of  necessary  supplies  for  all  the 
schools,  all  lists  of  supplies  exceeding  $50  in  value  to  be  bought  of  lowest 
and  best  bidder  or  bidders;  and  to  furnish  information  of  the  financial  con- 
dition to  the  Board  at  any  of  its  meetings. 

Second — The  Committee  on  Instruction  shall  consist  of  five  members 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  through  its  executive  officer,  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Schools,  to  investigate  the  qualifications  of  applicants  for  positions 
as  teacher,  to  prepare,  annually  and  submit  at  the  next  regular  or  at  a 
special  meeting  following  the  organization  meeting  in  May  a  list  of  com- 
petent teachers  for  positions  for  the  next  school  year,  with  recommendations 
as  to  their  salaries,  to  report  progress  of  the  revision  of  courses  of  study,  to 
recommend  four  principals  or  supervisors  to  serve  with  the  Superintendent 
of  Schools  on  Text  Book  Committee,  to  have  general  care  of  the  High  School, 
the  centralization  or  separation  of  same  in  various  parts  of  City,  to  see  that 
all  teachers'  contracts  and  salaries  are  in  agreement  with  requirements  and 
schedules  laid  down  by  this  Board. 

To  exercis'e  general  control  through  the  Superintendent  of  Schools  of 
the  Department  of  Hygiene  and  of  activities  of  the  Truant  Officers,  to  pre- 
pare annually  an  estimate  of  the  money  needed  for  the  next  year  for  salaries 
and  incidentals  and  file  same  with  the  Chairman  of  the  Finance  and  Supply 
Committee  at  least  ten  days  prior  to  the  June  meeting,  and  to  be  empowered 
to  visit  other  school  systems  in  search  of  competent  persons  to  fill  vacancies 
in  Alton  schools. 

Third — The  Committee  on  Buildings  and  Grounds  shall  consist  of  five 
members  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  recommend  to  the  Board  at  the  June 
meeting  a  suitable  person  to  fill  the  office  of  Superintendent  of  Buildings, 
who  acts  as  the  executive  officer  of  the  committee,  to  attend  through  their 
executive  officer  to  the  necessary  repairs  of  all  buildings  and  grounds,  to 
exercise  general  supei'vision  over  all  buildings  whatsoever  through  the 
Board's  Architect,  or  the  Superintendent  of  Buildings,  or  both,  to  have  charge 
through  the  executive  officer,  the  committee  of  all  janitors  having  power 
to  discharge  any  janitor  temporarily  for  neglect  of  duty  and  appoint  tem- 
porarily his  or  her  successor,  to  recommend  to  the  Board  at  the  meeting 
suitable  persons  for  appointment  as  janitors  of  the  various  buildings,  to 
keep  in  touch  with  the  probable  growth  of  our  school  system  and  recommend 
school  sites  when  deemed  advisable  and  to  make  annually  an  estimate  of 
money  needed  for  the  next  year  for  repairs,  new  buildings,  new  sites  and 
janitors'  salaries  and  file  same  with  the  Chairman  of  the  Finance  and  Supply 
Committee  at  least  ten  days  prior  to  the  June  meeting. 

Fourth — The  Committee  on  Rules  and  Regulations  shall  consist  of 
three  members — the  Chairman  of  the  three  forenamed  committees — whose 

86 


duty  it  shall  be  to  formulate  all  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of 
the  Board. 

Be  it  further  resolved,  That  all  committees  shall  meet  at  least  once 
a  month,  that  notice  be  sent  to  every  member  of  the  Board  of  each  meeting 
and  that  any  member  of  the  Board  is  privileged  to  attend  any  committee 
meeting  to  take  part  in  the  discussion,  but  only  the  members  of  the  com- 
mittee in  session  are  privileged  to  vote  on  the  nature  of  the  committee's 
report  to  the  Board,  and  that  by  vote  of  the  majority  of  the  committee — the 
committee's  meeting  may  be  with  closed  doors. 

Adopted  by  the  Board,  May  15th,  1918. 


87 


REQUIRED  QUALIFICATIONS  FOR  TEACHERS 
IN  THE  ALTON  SCHOOLS. 

I.  New  Teachers  in  the  Grades. 

New  teachers  employed  in  the  grades  of  the  Alton  Schools  shall  have 
the  following  qualifications: 

(a)  The  completion  of  a  standard  four-year  high  school  course,  or  its 
equivalent,  with  no  professional  work  offered  as  a  part  of  the  sixteen  units 
required  for  graduation. 

(b)  A  diploma  from  a  two  years'  course  from  a  standard  normal  school 
or  its  equivalent. 

II.  New  Teachers   in  the   High   School. 

New  teachers  employed  in  the  Alton  High  Schools  must  have  a 
Bachelor  Degree  from  a  college  that  is  a  member  of  the  American  Associa- 
tion of  Colleges  with  the  minimum  of  twelve  hours  of  professional  work  as  a 
part  of  the  requirements  for  the  degree. 

III.  Present  Grade  Teachers. 

Teachers  now  in  the  employ  of  the  Alton  School  Board  may  receive 
and  retain  an  increase  in  salary  only  upon  doing  a  minimum  average  of  six 
hours  of  professional  work  each  year,  until  each  teacher  has  the  minimum 
of  thirty  hours  of  professional  work  to  her  credit. 

IV.  Present  High  School  Teachers. 

Teachers  now  employed  in  the  Alton  High  School  should,  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  secure  the  equivalent  of  a  Bachelor  Degree  from  a  standard  college, 
including  twelve  hours  of  professional  work. 

They  are  required  to  do  a  minimum  of  six  hours  of  professional  and 
other  work  each  year  until  they  have  reached  the  minimum  required. 

That  no  new -graduates  be  placed  as  Cadets  and  that  fair  and  just 
arrangements  be  made  with  those  now  in  training  as  Cadets. 

That  upon  written  application  any  teacher,  principal  or  supervisor  can 
obtain  a  year's  leave  of  absence  for  study  and  will  upon  return  be  placed 
in  same  or  better  rank. 

That  this  Board  provide  at  its  own  expense  through  the  Committee 
of  Instruction  courses  in  professional  subjects  by  the  extension  method. 

That  this  Board  through  its  proper  officers  pledge  themselves  to  the 
establishment  of  a  permanent  list  of  teachers,  that  is,  that  any  teacher  when 
a  certain  standard  of  preparation  and  a  certain  length  of  service  has  been 
attained  will  be  placed  as  a  permanent  teacher  in  the  Alton  Schools  remov- 
able only  for  cause. 

Adopted  by  the  Board,  May  15th,  1918. 


88 


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